...Walk to School....In the Snow....Up hill...Both Ways

Well....maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration. But we have all heard this haven't we. As many of you may know, I am in my fourth week of a temp job at a Plastic Surgeons office. Yes, for those who know me well, you get a good laugh. As I was walking to work this morning with shoes on in the light snowy mix on the flattish streets of the city, I could not help but to think how this temp job has shown me the many faces of living here.

The walk alone has opened my eyes. I walk from the west side of Manhattan to the east side. Some routes take me by the quiet Gramercy Park. Other ways take me by the biggest middle school in our district....2,000 children in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. My favorite way is to walk through Madison Square Park. It is the half way point of my walk. There is a clock on a building that I can use to gauge my speed. And it has trees and green grass and now some daffodils. I love cutting through there because it becomes my "Calgon, take me away" moment of the day. On sunny days the shadows of the trees create the neatest pattern on the sidewalk. While on rainy days, these same trees are reflected in the pools of water. In the afternoon, children are out laughing and playing. The dog park is busy with its own set of patrons. It is a wonderful part of my walk.

Another part of this walk takes me across Park Avenue. There is a reason why Park Ave cost so much in Monopoly. This is the "upscale" part of the walk. The buildings alone stand out with their detailed architecture. Drivers wait for there people to call it a day...or maybe it is to take them to their next appointment. The Hurricane Club's windows are covered so elegantly that I can only imagine how beautiful the inside must be. But, only one block away from Park life takes on yet another face. This street is filled with things from the Middle East. There are shops selling beautiful Saree's. An Afghan restaurant ordains one corner quite differently than the Hurricane Club. And of course there is "The Famous Original Ray's Pizza" on another corner. How quickly the street scape changes in one block.

Continuing on my walk takes me through "green areas" as they are called. Most of these areas don't have grass. It just means that these are areas where cars are not allowed to be. The areas I walk through happen to be close to the hospitals and for some reason attract more than the usual "strange" people. Needless to say, a comment or two is usually heard....not the comments you would hear as a female. These comments are off the wall comments that make me wonder what actually goes on inside a persons mind.

Most of all, my temp position has allowed me to see a different face to plastic surgery. I was under the assumption of tummy tucks, Botox, breast augmentations, etc.... what most of us think of when we hear plastic surgery. How wrong I was!! I am not saying that we do not have patients coming into the office for cosmetic procedures. But most of our clientele is not cosmetic. One of our surgeons specializes in children with deformities of the face and head. My heart can't begin to step into these families situations without my eyes tearing up. The road these families travel is unbelievable......yet each child that comes is so precious.  Other doctors do breast reconstruction for patients with breast cancer. These women have chemo appointments one day of the week along with our appointments another day. They come tired and worn down only to be comforted by a patient who is on the tail end of the journey. Again, as I sit and witness this act of compassion, my eyes fill with tears.

I never thought that I would be 37 and temping. But I know that there is a reason for me being here. This job has stretched me. I have had to adjust how I think about things and how I come to grips with ideas I am not comfortable with. I am not were I want to be.....teaching and working with youth. But I am seeing many different faces of people, of places, and of myself. So for now, I will keep my eyes open and take in all the different sights.