Today I begin writing "a new story" with my experience as is related to my teaching.
I awoke at 4:43 a.m., after arriving back from New York at about 9:00 p.m. I had a series of moments, on my way to take the Bolt bus, that were awkward at best, and could have been disastrous at worst. My saving grace, was that I chronically early (I am always waaaaaay early) and wasn't going to miss the bus. Here's what happened:
My bag got caught in the turnstile
It took two men, one older, one younger, to get me "unstuck"
As the many people streamed out of the subway car, was one of the last to get on
My bag, again, got stuck, this time in the subway doors
Two strangers outside the train helped signal the conductor that they needed to open the doors
People inside the car literally pulled my bag inside
There was no air on the subway, we were packed like sardines
Getting out at 34th street, I could find no elevator (there often are none)
I ran over the foot of a Japanese woman
Finally, a kind stranger carried my bag up about 30 steps
These misadventures are what I worry about before trips, but in many ways, they made the whole experience "memorable". On the flip side, when I got to the bus stop, I was way at the back of the line and I had already made peace that I was going to get on and have to sit somewhere undesirable. Quite to my surprise, a man walked down the line checking our tickets (on my phone-so much easier) and sent me and about four other people to the head of the line. I was one of the first people to get on the bus and sat right at the front with a sweet young woman from New York, going to visit her parents in Boston.
Tom was there waiting and we took the silver line home. I slept in my own bed and it felt great. I can see out the windows and see the sky, the trees, and the birds. Marvelous. I am so glad to be out of that hotel, which felt like living in a box. Spiritually, metaphorically, and intellectually, the next phase of my fellowship will be for breaking out of the box, using my experiences in New York, as part of that plan.