I took a train from Philadelphia to NYC, yesterday, to attend a group therapy conference at a hotel located in Times Square. Because the weather was so beautiful, I walked the entire way with my suitcase from New York’s Penn Station to Times Square.
What are your associations with Times Square in New York City?
Personally, my immediate association with Times Square is the massive New Year’s Eve celebration there, every year. Yesterday, Times Square wasn’t quite as crowded, so there was plenty of room for hope …
… and love.
As I was rolling my suitcase through Times Square, I met a lovely and helpful Public Safety Officer named Joseph. Encountering kind people, especially in a place like Times Square, always gives me hope about humankind.
At the end of our brief conversation, Joseph and I gave each other a high five — a very hopeful and lovely way to connect with another person, don’t you think?
For me, there are certain things that can get in the way of accessing the hope and love available in any location, including:
- insufficient self-care, like not enough sleep, nourishing food, water, or access to what sustains me (nature, music, art, animals, etc.),
- negative assumptions about other people and their intentions,
- worry about the future,
- fear of the unfamiliar,
- dread about repeating past difficult experiences, and
- doubting my own strengths and abilities.
Which of the images in this blog post convey hope and love to you?
Hope and love to you — on this 23rd day of February, 2016 — from Times Square.
All of them in their own way portray hope. Lovely post.
Thanks for your hope and love, Miriam.
It’s my pleasure Ann.
Ann you really picked a perfect weather day to be in NYC. I love the vibrancy of Times Square and so many sights. I just wish we could have met since I am a 15 minute bus ride away!!
I love knowing you’re so close!
Hope for me is most strongly conveyed by the statue of George M. Cohan who said, “Tell all the gang at 42nd Street/That I will soon be there.” In asking that his regards be give to Broadway he was looking back but also looking forward to being reunited with old friends.
There’s a stereotype of New Yorkers as rude and unhelpful, especially to tourists, but since so many are friendly and helpful is it too much to hope that the stereotype will fade?
I will give your kind and loving regards to Broadway, Chris.
Welcome to my fair city, Ann! I wrote a lovely longish comment here that disappeared thanks to Windows 10 that I installed yesterday and still am not sure how to use. I wanted you to know that in addition to George M Cohan, there is a cool statue of Andy Warhol down Broadway just north of Union Square, and down Union Square West is a gorgeous statue of Mahatma Gandhi. Not far from my office! Wanted to put a photo of Gandhiji here, but no idea how.
More hopeful things to love about your fair city, Sunny!
That cheesecake looks amazing…and the Hershey store is nothing to sneeze at either—Have Fun!!
I hope you know I love you, Jan, but I would hope you’d know the difference between Hershey and M & M.
Such a lovely and hopeful post Ann!!
And such a lovely and hopeful comment, Val!
Best group therapy session ever!
Yes!
Chocolate covered cheese cake. No wonder you like Times Square.
Those are Oreos embedded in cheese cake. No wonder I like Times Square.
Give my regards to Broadway…Remember me to old time square…..give my regards, oh, ok, you probably know the rest. I have just finished a book about my father who appeared on Broadway back in the 30s and 40s, and I am looking forward to going to New York in the summer to make a presentation. You made me want to sing with this post. Good therapy!
Your comment made me want to sing, Elva!
MEANWHILE AT HOME:
Hope and love in Boston is impossible without Ann.
Hope and Love in Times Square is impossible without Grumpy!
There’s a lot of hope and love in what you do, Maria!
Your whole blog is about hope and love! And what a great list you gave us. I have to say I met a large peanut M&M once, at a steeplechase in Virginia. It was a pleasure.
That sounds like a delicious experience. And thank you for this loving, hopeful comment.
Mmm . . . New York cheesecake. I’d love to have a slice of that. Hope my wish comes true!
I hope you get all the things you love, Carol!
The picture that has a cat picture in it give me the feeling 🙂
That picture gave me the feeling, too. 🙂
Just popped over to say Hi, scrolled through the photos and now I want cheesecake and M & M’s bugga as I don’t have either
I am just popping over now to say hi back, Joanne.
I was just there 2 weeks ago, and I must say NYC has the nicest police force I’ve ever encountered. They take public service to another level. NYC recharges my battery and your photos just gave me a little nudge too.
Wonderful to experience the hope and love you bring here today.
There just seems to be so much stuff going on in Times Square, it seems a bit overwhelming. So many things to look at. The cheesecake looks scrumptious….and giant M&Ms – yumm!!!!!!!!
I hope you love it when I tell you, SD, that I’m typing this comment over another lovely helping of that same cheesecake.
“When you’re alone in New York City, the whole world is with you. The big, screaming lights of Times Square tell you a thousand stories; and then you head downtown and you know exactly who you are. In New York, you’re always going somewhere, meeting someone, leaving someone. You wanna go back, but you’re desperate to know; New York, do you remember me? New York has seen so many people are they’re all so interesting that you wonder how it could ever remember you. But you hope it does and you hope it does and you hope it does.”
I love this, Paul.
Reblogged this on KCJones.
I hope you know I love your reblogs.
Joseph is best for hope and love. My association with Times Square on New Year’s Eve is the same as our Trafalgar Square – I wouldn’t go near it 🙂
I hope you know I love your comments, Derrick.
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