Strange and Strangers

The most profound quote I heard so far this week was by Daniel Radcliffe, who is currently performing on Broadway in Equus- Harry Potter naked anyone? In response to a question about New York City, he said " It is the only place on Earth where you can see the most beautiful woman in one glance and the most crazy person in the next." I couldn't agree more. New York is truly a smorgasbord of cultures, people, degrees of sanity and everything in between. Strolling along 8th avenue close to my apartment, I am likely to see office workers scurrying to work, construction laborers returning home after a night shift, tourists from every corner of the world and out-and-out raving lunatics.

I was accosted in Starbucks a few days ago by a homeless woman with a deep interest in Tudor History. Strange you may say. It was more than strange. She had the will but not the way. Her command of Kings and Queens was a bit off- a Philip instead of a Henry; a IV instead of a VII, but honestly, her enthusiasm was so refreshing that I spoke to her for 30 minutes. She was truly enthralled by our discussion of London, its history, its culture. The strangest part of the exchange was how normal it felt. In all my years in London, I have never had such an exchange. In New York, conversation is the most natural thing in the world. In the space of a week, I have had spontaneous discussions or chats with at least 1o people- in the grocery store, the coffee shop, the elevator, the subway. People talk. It is so refreshing. Granted, you are always skeptical and unsure of people's motives, but generally it is a wonderful and heartening aspect of life in the Big Apple.  By way of example, I was minding my own business in Whole Foods today, eating soup and reading a book. The woman who had been sitting next to me for the previous minutes got up to collect her things, looked back at me, smiled and enquired about my book, triggering a conversation about Buddhism and careers. The strangest aspect of that exchange was that it seemed so normal. The adventure continues...