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My mother called today and scolded me for being so “negative” on my blog.
“I can’t handle it, it makes me anxious,” she said, sounding very familiar, since I said the same thing to Sophia when she crying because of her pain.
“Write about positive things. People like happy stories about people who do good things.”Â
Now she was sounding like one of the Hollywood executives who want to re-do “Citizen Kane” and have it end with an elderly Kane gleefully sledding down a snowy hill on “Rosebud,” all of his happy, laughing grandchilden in tow.
“I have a positive story.” my mother continued. “You should write about that.”
My mother is a very nice woman, and can even make a good brisket, but a storyteller she ain’t. But since this blog has been such a downer lately, I’m going to turn over the reigns of “Citizen of the Month” to my mother and present to you (lights and the roar of the MGM lion):
MY MOTHER’S POSITIVE STORY!
I’ve titled it “The Nicest Man in New York City.”
Mom, take it away!
“I was on the Q65 bus in Queens when a man came onto the bus at Kissena Boulevard.  He seemed confused about where to go. He asked some woman… but the confused man, a very nice man, only spoke French. No one knew what he was saying. Some college student, this Chinese girl, said she took French in high school, but could only understand that he “didn’t know where to get the Express Bus.” Suddenly, the bus driver said, “I know French!” He was from Haiti, and a very nice man. He explained to the French man… in French… how to get to the Express Bus. Even more… when the bus driver got to the right stop, he waited until the French man got off the bus and stood in the exact location on the street to catch the Express bus.”
And that was the story.
“That’s it?” I asked, laughing. “That’s a nothing story.”
“Everyone thinks New Yorkers are so mean, but this proves differently, because the bus driver was so nice.”
I wasn’t in the mood for my mother’s Pollyannish ways, so I thought I’d trap her in her own story.
“And how did all the other passengers feel about the bus driver waiting around until this French guy found the right spot to catch the Express bus? I’m sure they were annoyed and wanted to go already.”Â
“No, not at all. Everyone on the bus was very nice and cared about this French man.”
“Everyone?”
“Everyone. So, why don’t you write about THIS? It’s not a nothing story. It’a nice story, about nice people.”
 
