New York Cares. So Do I

My pal Sean asked me to join his work team from EuroRSCG for "Hands on New York Day 2009" where people from all over New York go all over New York and make it a better place. I had a dance class conflict, but weighed my karmic options and deemed this a good reason not to jive to my usual Saturday morning African beats.

Our assignment should we accept it was at Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem at 124th and 5th. There were options to paint playgrounds, paint concrete bleachers at the massive outdoor swimming pool or garden. I decided I wanted to be a gardener. What a brilliant choice! Our most excellent leader Eric from the Credit Suisse team lead us into dappled sunlight, got us hooked up with the wonderful lead gardener Jose and surrounded us with tulip bulbs direct from Mother Nature. It was bliss, Eden even, and I worked with an excellent group whose origins were from all over the US, and from Sweden and Switzerland to boot. It was very gratifying work and I feel I want to go back to Marcus Garvey in a few weeks and check on my tulip rows and shrub creations.


Garden leader, Eric, posing like he's working, or waiting for the starting gun to go off.

Mike from Gannett and the UWS.
Me in gardening gloves. There is hope.

At the break, Sean asked me to help them at the pool. Sounds glamourous, but I knew quickly this was the assignment from hell, the short straw, but I knew he needed help and of course I would go.

Painting by a pool sounds wonderful, but this was the Sahara. No shade and an empty pool that allowed for no ocean breeze sensation. There were miles of crusted over Soviet-era concrete slabs with chipping sea foam green that we had to convert into all grey that would make the thing look like the Giants Causeway and an aircraft carrier landing strip had a baby. (Okay that was a long way to go for a really confusing image.)


Imagine this photo times 4 of 5 lengths.


It was a high of 88 degrees out there and the paint fumes bubbled up. We had rollers and brushes and weird lamb-like mittens to get into all the hard to reach places. With those dark places and the ooze of the paint I felt like I was birthing a calf in the middle of the Gobi.

It was a truly wonderful day, all in. I met some great folk, got out of myself and touched earth and helped out in whatever small way. Volunteer work is key to world peace if you ask me. It is a constructive way to get stuck on a elevator with strangers and realize that we are all really okay and have something to contribute.