The One Time I Saved a Three Year Old’s Life & Never Got a Thank You
Not every good deed needs to be recognized.
My daughter’s first choice college was in Brooklyn, New York. After attending the school for a full year, she decided it wasn’t quite for her, so in May I flew to JFK and helped her pack her stuff in order to move to a new school in August.
Since I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be back to New York for a very long time (if at all), the trip to pack up my daughter also became a whirlwind tour of the city. We had already been to all the big attractions over the course of various visits, so I wanted less Empire State Building and more hidden gems.
On one of the last days in New York, my daughter and I got on a subway and headed to Prospect Park in Brooklyn. She prepped me by saying it’s a lot like Central Park but way less crowded.
Boy in the Woods
It was a beautiful May day with the sun shining, a perfect temperature, and people itching to get off sidewalks and onto the grass. Numerous nature seekers flooded Prospect Park but my daughter was right — it was a big enough space that it easily handled the influx of people. Obviously, this visit was pre-COVID19.
We wandered aimlessly and without a plan. Eventually, though, we hatched a partial goal. Because of my insane (and probably unnatural) love of trees, my daughter wanted to show me the Ravine, an area of forest that is 150 acres of woods and water. To this tree thirsty woman, it was an ideal reprieve from the endless blue sky of Southern California. I know, I know, I shouldn’t be complaining about the blue skies where I live but sometimes I need to see real trees with real leaves that provide real shade — palm trees just ain’t my thang.
On the heavily wooded path, we cautiously walked by a man sitting on a rotting log in a sweatshirt with his hoodie tightly closed around his head, attempting to keep one eye on him for any unexpected movements as he smoked something illegal. Our attention was momentarily diverted by a little boy running downhill toward us. He ran on by and I waited for his mother to appear on the horizon, sweaty and chasing her progeny, but not a single person came into view.