Greetings My Gentle Readers and all the ships at sea. I’ve returned from the dead. Fine, I wasn’t dead, I was just very sore and lacking in time and energy. Now I’m just a little sore, have some time, and have 32 oz of coffee energy in me. That should be wearing off but I’m still going strong though I can no longer move things with the power of my mind. My vacation starts after school tomorrow. I intend on spending days on end in my easy chair with a heat pad until my shoulder and neck are healed. Not carrying my backpack to and from school will do wonders.
My calendar says “Caroling with Terre Roche” for tonight, but the forecast says rain so Terre moved it to last night. That was not the most convenient thing for me as last night I had a ticket to the Knick game. I needed to go food shopping, my original plan was to stop at Trader Joe’s on the way home. Spend 45 minutes or so at home, then go to the game. I couldn’t do that as now I had to be back in the City at 6 for caroling and didn’t have time for that. Instead I left school early and stopped at TJ’s on the way home. I prepared the promo for tonight’s Gord’s Gold then headed down to Washington Square Park for Caroling. I’m usually way early for it but yesterday only about 8 minutes.
I still arrived before Terre but found some of her crew, the Caroling Carolers. I also found my friends David and Ellen. We were soon joined by Alex. Meanwhile strangers with ukuleles were setting up under the arch. I approached them and told them that we are caroling at 6 PM and have been doing this for 50 years. It’s only 49 but I was rounding up. I only joined 30 years ago. That’s rounding down. They told me they had a permit from the City. Permit? We don’t need no stinking permit. We’ve never had a stinking permit. At that point we should have had an old fashioned caroling gang rumble but we’re a bunch of damn pacifists so we just waited to see what Terre had to say. She said we’d wait for them to be done then start. We were told it was only 20 minutes but they went on for over half an hour. We still didn’t rumble as we were still pacifists.
When they cleared out we grabbed our usual spot. The problem was that now that everything was put back by half an hour I no longer had time to get to the game by tipoff. Caroling only happens once a year and we’ve missed the last two due to plague. This is one of my major emotional battery recharges and I needed it. There will be plenty of other Knick games.
I’m a Jewish Atheist but this is always a highlight of my year. My emotional batteries get recharged. Two of my best friends that join me each year couldn’t make it but David and Ellen could as well as the people I know from previous years caroling and Terre’s Sunset Singing Circles. They are my once a year family. I love watching the people just walking by and discovering us. I wish they would join us. Nothing better says “Peace on earth and goodwill to all men,” than making beautiful music together.
We don’t have a set order other than starting with The First Nowell. People shout out what they want to hear next. A woman near me said, “Good King Wenceslas! I said, that’s my favorite. She said it was her favorite. It’s such a beautiful story song and has a wonderful message. “Ye who now will bless the poor/Shall yourselves find blessing.” This is what it’s like to be in the middle of it.
This required a major sacrifice by me as I couldn’t sing if I were recording. If you come join us next year it will have been worth it.
Even though I was late for the Knick game I couldn’t just run. I had to say my goodbyes to everyone. Even after that I had to drag myself away. My batteries were recharged.
The Knicks have been on a roll, winners of their last eight games. Guess what happened when I was at the game. That’s right they lost. I then had a misadventure on the way home. When I changed trains at 59th street the app said the D was coming, but the A came first. I got on it. I didn’t notice until after the two lines diverged. As I have to get up so early I got off at 168th street and took Lyft home. It was half the price of Uber. I still wasn’t happy doing it and I still didn’t get enough sleep. I would still do everything again except for taking the wrong train. Caroling and the Knicks is worth losing some sleep over.
I will be back next year. Richard, part of the once a year family shouted, “Next year in Jerusalem!” When we finished. He beat me to it. I won’t be at Jerusalem, I’ll be at Washington Square Park with you.
Wise Madness 