Riding Metro-North. Pre-Game.

~ Live & Learn

city-lights-dreamy

3:45 am, Tuesday morning.
I’m up.
Should be tired.
Not tired.
Body is saying “Go!”
Zeke stirs at my feet, and leans in.

Mental flotsam. But there it is again.

I jump in the shower.
I close my eyes, and linger in the sauna.

How do you know it isn’t?

I walk down the hall.
Behind door 1, Eric sleeps after a night out with friends.
Behind door 2, Rachel is wrapped under two comforters. She’s well into the final act of her dream.
Children.

You could be squarely in the middle of it, right now.

4:45 am.
I step out the door.
The rain is feather-like, a mist, landing between a breath and a kiss.
Birds sing, greet the day, and me, while enjoying their bath.

At least you recognize that it could very well be. 

4:55 am.
Two commuters sit in the warming shack.
I stand alone on the platform. Solitary, but light.
The tap is turned up, rain falls briskly, washing the dust off the earth.

It’s an ever so gentle shift in observation, in interpretation.

5:01 am.
The train arrives, on schedule, on the button.
I place my coat and bag in the overhead rack.
I take my seat in the air conditioned car.
And settle in.

No Orhan. I may just be recognizing it.

In fact no one recognizes the happiest moment of their lives as they are living it. It may well be that, in a moment of joy, one might sincerely believe that they are living that golden instant “now,” even having lived such a moment before, but whatever they say, in one part of their hearts they still believe in the certainty of a happier moment to come. Because how could anyone, and particularly anyone who is still young, carry on with the belief that everything could only get worse: If a person is happy enough to think he has reached the happiest moment of his life, he will be hopeful enough to believe his future will be just as beautiful, more so.

— Orhan Pamuk, from The Museum of Innocence, transl. by Maureen Freely (Knopf, 2009)

Notes:

34 thoughts on “Riding Metro-North. Pre-Game.”

  1. Wow. Yes. No, that’s not sufficient – YES. And as long as there is the possibility of a happiest moment, then the sweetness of present joy is even more delicious.

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  10. Love your post, David. Hmm..”Linger in the sauna”..”The rain is feather-like, a mist, landing between a breath and a kiss” – delicious imagery I emailed a Tuesday Greeting:

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  12. ‘The rain is feather-like, a mist, landing between a breath and a kiss. – my favorite line of this piece.’ and oh, do i love this concept – this is the happiest moment. it’s all we’ve got, really.

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  13. Beautifully written DK. Perfect photo (like wine & cheese). I can feel it. Best I can ever do is say, I love this right now. Your way is way more elegant. I think I may just linger here for a moment.

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  14. Dave, thank you kindly. You are a great writer, who’s caring approach, wit and intellect soar high and always leave me with an impression of having spent my time wisely.

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  16. “but whatever they say, in one part of their hearts they still believe in the certainty of a happier moment to come.” This is so true, we forget how precious this moment is. You write about the simple acts we play out each day, but your writing reminds us to connect to and savour them. Wonderful.

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