“Relax, relax, relax…”

“It will be all right.”

Sometimes random things happen in the normal course of a day’s events and they end up having great meaning. 

This morning I’m walking through the theatre district in New York City on my way to the UN building for my briefings.  I’m walking the NY walk, the big city walk, short fast steps looking out for the potholes and sidewalk cracks designed to sprain your ankle after your heel gets caught.  I’m looking out for craters, dodging pushy taxis and manouevring my way around lanconic tourists taking a stroll.  And while I’m in my private world of pleasure taking in, and loving the sounds and sights of being in a big city again, a man walked past me and in a normal voice talking to no one in particular he said – “…relax, relax, relax…it will be all right.”

How did he know?  How did he know  that at that moment I was reviewing the previous day’s briefings on the complexities of the situation in Pakistan and the difficulty I will have in reporting the news from the country.  Moreover it was very clear that all acknowledged the difficulty. 

So I was thinking of this while I was walking until I heard “…relax, relax, relax…it will be all right.”  I thought about it on the way to the UN and again tonight on my return to the hotel.  And a calmness settled over me, unlocking my tension.  It will be all right.  I know it will.

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Went to see a Broadway play last night called  “I King” – with Geoffrey Rush, Andrea Martin and Susan Sarandon.  Kinda cool to see Geoff just five seats away from you and to hear Susan’s distinctive voice resonate in the theatre.  Left at intermission because I had forgotten how much I disliked Eugene Ionescu as a writer.  This particular play revolved around death and destruction and frankly, those are not the type of messages I want to hear before I leave for a crisis country.  A happy musical would have been a better choice!