the melting pot

my run on saturday made me acutely aware of the fact that i run in shorts.
running down ocean parkway (envisioned by architect olmsted in 1866, this path connects prospect park to coney island) at 7:30 am means i come face to face with different groups of folks walking to shabbat service dressed in long black skirts, wigs, hats, black suits, kippots (or yarmulke), and tzitzit (tassels).

i on the other hand am in a tank & shorts bobbing along listening to postal service & feist trying to get in my 5 miles. i am aware of the uniqueness of new york where cultures really do collide. case and point, i turn off ocean parkway and passed a woman in a full burqa. i often see arabic woman wearing head scarves (especially in our new neighborhood), but this was the first time i had personally seen the full burqa.

then take my walk to lunch with my friend on sunday after church..... we come across a block party of high end sports cars..... lamborghini, porshe, ferrari, etc. that was just strange. it was just fitting to eat sushi after that encounter.

it is always interesting to run around the neighborhood with such a wide variety of folks. there is this one guy that runs early on..... i think he might actually be homeless. he runs in the same clothes: a tattered army green shirt that has more than a few holes and the same colored shorts that are held on by a piece of string. he is fast too but has a strange gait. i can spot him at least a half a mile away. i find him inspiring. new york is a crazy place to try and find some place of personal reflection out there on the pavement.