Stranger Thoughts
...in the city that never sleeps.
Hey! I’m traveling today. Just checked into my hotel in Manhattan. Which means today’s post will be a bit more off-the-cuff than usual. I hope that’s okay, seeing as we’re all friends here.
With my remote gig, I don’t much go out in the world. Besides the gym and the grocery (and Home Depot, we can’t forget about Home Depot), I don’t really go out at all. Now, here I am in Manhattan.
People everywhere.
I don’t exactly feel like the stereotype of the wide-eyed Country Girl in the Big Cityᵀᴹ. I’ve been here before. But I do find myself jumping at car horns and smiling at passersby before remembering that is not how things are done here. With such a staggering number of people in one area the chances of a Weirdo Encounterᵀᴹ are high, so New Yorkers simply can’t risk smiling and saying “hello” to everyone they pass. And, let’s be honest, you and I both know I am one of the weirdos.
One of my favorite games is imagining under what circumstances two strangers would be willing to…get freaky. This was the inspiration for my series The Bathhouse. I think about it a lot. If she weren’t wearing earpods, would he not have stopped at shy glances and gone ahead and complimented her Chewbacca socks? There is a subtle line between two people ignoring each other on the street and two people who lock eyes and flush. What then of the line between the flushing couple and one of them daring to grab the other’s hand and pull him into a kiss?
I don’t think I’m the only one fascinated by these shades of amour. Why else is “meet cute” such a consistently popular trope? Maybe I’m reaching, but I hazard you’ve thought about it too. Is the next random conversation going to be with my future wife? Why don’t more of us grab their hand and pull them into a kiss? Well, it would be jarring I suppose. And you might be wrong, which would be embarrassing and possibly more than embarrassing. So, we flirt. We test the waters.
I get it.
But that line will always fascinate me. And as I sit on my hotel bed, sucking sticky cinnamon bun1 syrup off my fingers, I watch the slices of life in the building opposite me, and I think about that line. If I held up a sign, “You Belong With Me”-style, that read “horny and alone, wanna bone?” would the guy eating dinner by himself in his apartment be tempted to come over and see how weird it might get?
Anyway. Hope you are having a blessed Sunday.
Lova ya.
💛 Maia
PS Due to work travels, there may be a delay in this Wednesday’s audio episode (or it may not happen at all, depending how demanding my colleagues are). Thank you for understanding.
Life is too short to eat cinnamon rolls from the outside in, so I always unroll them and eat the center first. This is the best way.
It is Friday and I am reading your Sunday, excited to read any of your words while listening to your voice. Too much of Maia is never enough! Note to self: I need to catch up with The Bathhouse (I stopped at third episode, a shame!) I hope you tried the window sign — what was the result?