Connections

Glad I could Go & Grab just before the clock struck midnight. 

I've decided I will no longer take connections for granted, no longer take them in stride. When things connect, I am grateful. Making one connection enables us to make the next one. Top 10 connections I'm thankful for today:

1. H. and the tire. I had to rush to the city, H. was bustling around getting everything ready for his and Figgy's 450-mile drive to Maine. I connected with him to remind him about the nail in the right front tire that caused the tire to go quite flat last week. He was able to connect with the guy at the gas station, just by stopping by, so the nail could be removed and tire patched. Connection made.
2. Bus to NYC. As at my house in Montclair, I now know precisely how much wiggle room I have before I need to bolt out the door from this condo in Clifton and make haste to the corner. When to apply the lip gloss at leisure [rarely], when to toss it in the tote bag. But as I'm hurrying, I think to myself, If I don't miss this bus, I'm going to be very lucky, and very grateful that things worked out in my favor. When I sit in that seat, I'm going to breathe a sigh of gratitude and relief. Because if I miss this bus, the next one could be a whole hour later. That will throw my entire day off and cause me great stress. I will miss my appointment.
3. The waiting cab. Okay, its A.C. could have been better [I am a polar bear] but it got me from the Port Authority to 85th and Madison [another appt. at the doctor's] in exactly 14 minutes, so even though my bus had been caught in traffic, I was only four minutes late. And though I would have liked to walk the whole way, which would have been free and fit, I sat back and enjoyed the view, especially along Central Park West near the Museum of Natural History and the Teddy Roosevelt statue. I enjoyed the connection I made.
4. Reaching the hospital care manager. I'd missed two connections--one when she called me mid-appointment--but was able to catch her before she left for the day, so we could get the conversation going re. where Dad will go next. Person-to-person and family connections mean everything.
5. Connecting with nature. Oh, Central Park. I love it. I walked back from the Upper East Side to Columbus Circle, then to the Port. Soaked up views of the Lake and boathouse, Bethesda Fountain with its pretty lily pads, the grassy fields, the lovely trees, the big ancient rocks and sloping hills, the happy dogs being walked by their owners. 
6. Clicking with my new favorite cup of coffee. Why would I ever go to Starbucks again? I happened upon The Cafe at the Plaza Hotel, when I decided to check out the hotel's retail shop level [enter on 58th Street] purely for window shopping. It was only $2.72 for a delicious iced coffee. I was afraid it might be $7. And it felt so great to sit and sip it in a high-backed, light blue velvet chair. So elegant. Want to go with Sis and Figgy [the afternoon tea we three used to go to at the Plaza every Christmas season with Edie is now $45 to $55 per person].
7. Getting help in the nick of time. John is the very nice concierge here at AVE Clifton. There are several, but he is stellar. I couldn't get my work file to open up on the Dells in the business center or the Macs in the fancy lobby or Figgy's Mac in the condo tonight....but I asked John before his shift ended at 11 P.M., and he was able to open it on the front desk computer. He even stayed till 11:06 doing it for me. 
8. Inching the Mernins' minivan out of the parking spot. Anne and Michael have generously lent us their third car. Tonight I had to get it out from a spot next to a giant silver pickup truck that had wedged itself practically on top of it. This time, I was grateful, very grateful, to not make a connection, to not brush that shiny, expensive car with the Mernins' van. It took a lot of shimmying in and backing out, in baby steps, but I did it.
9. Racing my cart into Stop & Shop before it closed at midnight. True, the lights were out in the dairy aisle when I was grabbing cottage cheese and skim milk, but I raced to the cashier and made it. We didn't have a single morsel of dry food left for Sug, so I really had to get some before the store closed. Mission accomplished. 
10. Mad Men! Sacrificed my Sunday night viewing to go see the movie Eclipse with Figgy and friend last night at 10:20 and am so glad I did. But we don't have On Demand at the condo, so wasn't sure when I would catch the episode. Clicked on TV at 12:40 A.M. and there it was. Connection of my bottom to condo couch made, remote in hand, smile on face.