On the last night of Chanukah, which I meant to put my menorah back up for and forgot, I logged on to read a few of the blogs I follow — skim rather, when there's barely any time — and this photo popped off my "Blogs I'm Following" on my Dashboard.
Photo ©BRIAN DUBÉ
If you love New York, this blogger is a can't miss. As stated on his blog:
"PUBLISHING SCHEDULE: NEW POSTINGS ARE MADE WEEKDAYS. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO PERUSE THE 1000+ POSTINGS SINCE THE START OF THIS SITE ON MARCH 17, 2006 - SEE THE ARCHIVES ON THE RIGHT SIDEBAR - OR SEARCH FOR A TOPIC OF INTEREST USING THE SEARCH TOOL."You can get lost in the images and stories. Take a look when you have some free time.
I remembered I really couldn't put the menorah back up anyway. Harry had broken a bulb the first night, and to top things off, one of the holders on the very end was wobbly. It's plastic. You can't go with much more with a toddler. Ah, the story; I wanted to post it here for the lazy:
I will never know for sure why this ceramic cat was perched so carefully on a sidewalk curbstone. Many may ask, why do I care? Initially its bright colors made it jump out on a bleak winter day, so unexpected. However, what really piqued my interest was that its placement there was so obviously deliberate - there had to be some original intention. Was it an artistic statement, a discarded possession or some act of rebellion? And since this occurred in New York City, such an occurrence also had a huge element of vulnerability - an object will only remain like this for a short time and to witness it is a privilege with a very small window of opportunity. See my posting here - Small Gestures.
Am I making too much of such a small thing? Perhaps, but the devil is in the details and often, things like this can say a lot and also take one in unknown directions. I have an idea as to why this was there and it an idea one I want to believe.
When I was in Paris once, strolling with a friend, we noticed a glove on a window ledge. And in the same way as this cat, it was obviously placed there deliberately - it was hard to imagine it could have gotten there by accident. We also had the sense that it was intentionally undisturbed. These things were so curious that we indulged in conversation about it for some time and concluded that this glove was lost and was left there for its original owner to be found.
Speaking to others, we subsequently learned that we were correct and that this was a common practice in Paris. In all likelihood, the owner of an item will pass the same way again and find his or her lost personal belonging. We were so elated to learn that this small act of humanity had become common practice. How wonderful to learn of a variant on lost and found that required both the honesty and thoughtfulness of many by the thousands of passersby who participate in this act.
I will never know for sure why this ceramic cat was perched so carefully on a sidewalk curbstone. Many may ask, why do I care? Initially its bright colors made it jump out on a bleak winter day, so unexpected. However, what really piqued my interest was that its placement there was so obviously deliberate - there had to be some original intention. Was it an artistic statement, a discarded possession or some act of rebellion? And since this occurred in New York City, such an occurrence also had a huge element of vulnerability - an object will only remain like this for a short time and to witness it is a privilege with a very small window of opportunity. See my posting here - Small Gestures.Am I making too much of such a small thing? Perhaps, but the devil is in the details and often, things like this can say a lot and also take one in unknown directions. I have an idea as to why this was there and it an idea one I want to believe.
When I was in Paris once, strolling with a friend, we noticed a glove on a window ledge. And in the same way as this cat, it was obviously placed there deliberately - it was hard to imagine it could have gotten there by accident. We also had the sense that it was intentionally undisturbed. These things were so curious that we indulged in conversation about it for some time and concluded that this glove was lost and was left there for its original owner to be found.
Speaking to others, we subsequently learned that we were correct and that this was a common practice in Paris. In all likelihood, the owner of an item will pass the same way again and find his or her lost personal belonging. We were so elated to learn that this small act of humanity had become common practice. How wonderful to learn of a variant on lost and found that required both the honesty and thoughtfulness of many by the thousands of passersby who participate in this act.
Perhaps this explains the mystery behind the cat. For me, however, there is a greater gift than finding a lost possession. Like many New Yorkers who have become untrusting and cynical through years of living here, I have lost faith in the goodness of people. But I found it again in these acts of kindness ...
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