Walking with Sorrow

This past summer two of my close friends lost their mothers to cancer. I did not know how to comfort my friends with words; therefore, I simply tried to allow my quiet presence to touch deeper than a verbal sympathy. I just read a poem by Robert Browning Hamilton and it deals with the topic of Sorrow.

I walked a mile with Pleasure;
She chatted all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And never a word said she;
But oh! The things I learned from her,
When Sorrow walked with me.

Coney Island

The Q Train finally made it from Manhattan to the famous Coney Island and I was more than ready to spend a full day on the beach. My backpack full of snacks and beach treats, sun screen was applied and reapplied on the long train ride down and my friends had the huge queen mattress sheet we would all sunbathe on. However, when we got off the train this beach was not how I had imagined it. Relative to the amount of people who used to frequent this area it was now some what of a ghost town. The rides that still happened to work had a few lonely souls riding them. Tall grass and uncut weeds grew from large cracks in cement while only a few businesses remained on the boardwalk. The others were closed up and appeared to be out of operation. It seemed as though this place was falling apart. Still, it did not matter. I was a little discouraged by the current condition of this once booming beach but I was not going to let it get me down. We made our way to the sand in order to claim a piece of territory for ourselves before there was no room left. I kicked my sandals off. Then, I immediately put them back on after almost severing my toe on a broken Corona bottle that appeared to be an intentionally placed booby trap. Dodging glass and trash we finally found a place to set up our base. In fact, while lying down I heard at least three people ask the life guard for band aids because they cut their foot on broken glass. All in all, my experience at Coney Island was exactly that - an experience. Even though it was not what I had expected or anticipated it was still, as odd as it may sound, enjoyable. So if ever you decide to visit Coney Island I would recommend you bring sandals, maybe a few band aids, good company, a positive attitude and no real expectation. It is not what it once was. But, that should not stop you from respecting its history, enjoying its present and daydreaming about what it has potential to be.