A lot of people ask me what it's like to be a New Yorker. I saw an
article recently that talked about what New Yorkers are afraid of, and I thought it could give you peek into New York life. Though that list was incomplete.
After 13 years here, I figured I could make my own...
:)
WHAT NEW YORKERS ARE AFRAID OF...
Dog poop on the sidewalk
Rats running towards you on the subway platform
Dying on the BQE or the LIE in a cab, on the way home from JFK
Subway cars with no AC
Smelly people on the subway
Liquids of any kind on the subway...esp. bodily fluids
Apartments with no light
Driving in New Jersey
Fast food chains
Dr. Zizmor
Person falling asleep next to you on the train and nodding their head on your shoulder (eeps)
People carrying big metal boxes on trains
Leaving New York and having to give up good food
Getting towed
The Third Rail
Slime goo on sidewalks
Out of town guests who leave their shoes on and walk very loudly above downstairs neighbors
Canal Street
Times Square
Tourists that "mall walk" slowly, 5 people wide, across an entire sidewalk
Tourists who stop in the middle of the sidewalk
People on the street who ask you where you got your hair done & then try to sell you salon packages
Pigeon poop around The Plaza
Friends of cousins who ask if they can stay with you
Getting your laundry stolen in the laundromat
Scaffolding that is half-way built
Talking to someone on the Subway
Finding parking on a rainy day (or any day)
Forgetting where you parked
Trash days in front of Chinese food restaurants
Landlord raising your rent
"No Standing Zones"
Finding a good hair stylist or a good dentist
Not getting a good bonus (New York is all about the bonus)
Blocking the box
Roaches scurrying on the sidewalks late at night
Trying to understand the signs getting out of JFK (Van Wyck WHAT?)
Salt soaking into your leather shoes after snow storms
Changing from ugly walking shoes to heels just before entering an office building (it feels so unglamorous and silly)
Sweating through your clothes in the summer on the way to work
Seeing your neighbor on the train (sometimes headphones & reading are more appealing at 8 am.)
Getting your bumper destroyed from parking on the street
Getting a ticket for double parking for dry-cleaning, cheesecake at Junior's, unloading groceries
Sick passengers announced on the train
Your building going co-op
Landlord finding out you're renting out your apt on Craigslist during holidays
Bed bugs
Bed bugs
Bed bugs
:)
Obviously, lots of opportunities here to practice making peace with our fears. ha! (Really, it's all these small things in life that add up and keep us from being happy - they just add stress. When I figured that out, I made it a habit of mine to pay attention to things that riled me up throughout the day...and to uproot those negative thoughts or fears by pursuing virtues instead. Sounds lame, I know. But doing that can literally change your entire life.
PROOF: It no longer will change my blood pressure to have a slow walker walking in front of me. And it won't ruin my day to pick up a friend of a cousin from JFK. And I even was able to handle quite well 8 mechanic trips due to rats eating up wires in my engine. I know these are things that only New Yorkers could relate to, but that's some serious stuff, you guys. I'm telling you, pursuing positivity works. :) It's life changing. If I can do it, you can do it. I dare you to try it! (Also see:
The F-Word Made Me Bankrupt.)
OK, New Yorkers, what did I miss? And, what are people afraid of where you live? Scorpions? Not enough ski days? Living too far away from Trader Joe's? :) I'd love to hear.
(
NYC Subway Maps designed by
Massimo Vignelli, 1972)
