Little Miracles, Lovely Sunsets

New York City
January 20, 2006

Today I was reminded of why I wanted to live in this city. But it was totally by accident. My neighbor in my building is the director of a modern art gallery in Chelsea. He, I think, is actually my guardian angel, but that is, as I am wont to say, another entry. But it is, I believe, no accident that he was the first person I saw when I came to look at this building. He was up on the roof caring for the trees and other plantings wearing a faded red ball cap and dungarees. That was three years ago. I didn’t know then that he has both and MFA and a masters in horticulture. I didn’t know then that he was to be my next door neighbor who would, in many ways, help my entry into the life of this building much friendlier.

Michael keeps me abreast of the modern art scene, something I know little about. I guess that's not quite true, if recognizing Jackson Pollack or Warhol qualify as knowing something. But really, I don’t know how to evaluate modern work for quality/ characteristics, etc. I just know whether or not I like it. As a housewarming after my coop renovation this past Fall, Michael took me to an exhibit at the Jewish Museum. It was a lovely gesture. But it was when he opened his mouth as we entered the gallery, talking about the artist’s medium, her biography, her use of texture, light, color, that I realized that I was with my own Sr. Wendy
( did wonderful art series on PBS ).
Yesterday, Michael left me a folder at the concierge desk. I didn’t open it until this morning for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was I’m still struggling with my running, fighting some pain due to rehab that I’m doing, and generally wishing it was July.

Inside was a note:

"Mary Catherine—
If there is a day in the next two weeks when rain ( or snow ) is not falling and the tem is not 18 degrees F, AND you decide to journey ton Chelsea to study the exhibition I so like…here is the gallery’s checklist for the show.

Below the note was Michael’s key to the exhibit with his “take” on each and every one of the artist’s works. In addition, he enclosed a biography of the artist and an interview between the artist and an art critic."

I really hadn’t planned my day, and was poorly motivated to use it as a gift from God, but Michael changed that. Wasn’t that why I lived in New York? So that I could take advantage of the incredible abundance, so that I could attend lectures, visit exhibits, so that I could savor diversity by just walking around the block.

I took the C train down to 23rd street and began what became a very pleasant walk west on a surprisingly mild winter afternoon. Most of the Chelsea galleries are on the far westside, near the Westside Highway and the Hudson. I stopped along the way to read a marker: “Clement Moore, author or several books, the most notable of which was The Night Before Christmas, owned much of the land now known as Chelsea.” Who knew?

The exhibit was wonderful, thanks to Michael’s notes, and I did the gallery twice through to take it all in. I stopped by to say hi to Michael but he was on an errand.
I arrived at my building just before sunset, thinking what an unexpected day it had been. How totally unexpected.

My apartment is next to the stairwell that leads to the rooftop garden. I decided to go up and watch the sunset. The sun was already behind some low lying clouds but I could see the splay of light, orange and crimson, and got a glimpse of spring, a moment of beauty. Wasn’t that why I lived in New York?

I began this blog in January to give homage to the day to day, to making it through the day to day and trying to discern the point of it all. The little miracles, I believe, are often next door.
M.C.