Find your own urban fairy!

May I start off by giving a big hello to our dear friend, Summer. She has arrived a bit early (and catching us completely off guard, as those early guests normally do), but she came with a gorgeous present of splashy sunshine, blue skies, and general happiness (and so, we forgive her).

Yesterday morning, dressed in an obligatory insanely bright sundress to celebrate Summer's arrival, I pranced through the Herald Square subway stop. The station was quiet for the morning rush - probably because everyone was already suffering from the thick, muggy air that was creeping its way into the belly of the station. But nevermind that! Summer was here, and New Yorkers were in full-on celebration mode.

Flowery skirts, halters, tube tops, flip-flops, short shorts (okay...no one should really ever wear those) - and all on April 7th! Madness, everyone is saying! Madness!

(....have we all never heard of global warming? Is Al Gore not sitting in a lawn chair somewhere, pina colada in hand, sunning himself, and humming to the tune of I told you so?)

But yes, even I jumped fully onto the welcome wagon for Summer. And as I shuffled along the quiet, pale-skinned riders (we all could use some perking up from the sun, that's for sure), the most beautiful sound tickled my ears.

A sweet chime, twinkling with hope and pinging with a zing of excitement, echoed around the dirt-encrusted subway pillars. I turned to see the installation musical art, Reach: An Urban Musical Instrument (an instrument that plays various tones when your hand is placed in front of it). It was erected in the 34th Street Subway Station in 1996 (for more info, click here), and thus, I've seen it for years.

But never until yesterday had I really paid attention to it. But yesterday, as we all floated around in our summer clothes, trying to soak up the warmth of the day, Reach sounded like little fairies, giving me a sense of other wordly-ness. (Yes, I know. What fairies would be found in New York in a dirty, cramped subway station? And why the hell am I talking about fairies? But go with me on this.)

It was unexpected, this urban fairy sound. It pinged out of nowhere with a flash, touching a smile to my face. And as I drifted past Reach, and got onto my subway car, that feeling stayed with me, my secret weapon for the rest of the day.

We all need one. A secret weapon to get us through the hot city, the sweating, the panting, the desperation that sneaks out as we try to keep up with life. And if the sound of little urban fairies is what gets me through, I'm not going to question it.

So go forth, dear reader! Find your own urban fairy and use it well. Use it well.