Lesson #4,576: Find Your Own Crazy

The other night at a party, people were re-counting their drunken and sometimes, even sober (ha! who is ever sober anymore?) escapades through Manhattan.

Of course, these tales included the anecdotes from late night/early morning walks to the subway station and subway rides, which are inevitably (at that hour) filled with people who are the crazies. The loonies. The well-meaning, but slightly deranged. The chaps who are coo-coo for cocoa puffs.

At this point in our party's conversation, a question was raised: How do you get the crazies to ignore you? (Because nothing can kill a buzz faster than a homeless man sliding next to you, singing "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" (with a lisp), and then asking for money. And folks, that's a true story.)

"Well," one party-goer raised his glass and shrugged. "Just act crazy."

Our heads snapped to him in question.

He explained that when he finds himself alone in the city late at night, he takes on his crazy persona. "I zip up my hoodie," he explained. "shove my hands deep into my pockets, stare at the ground, and do this." He then proceeded to almost gallop around the room (with a quite purposeful stride), shake his head wildly from side to side, and incoherently mutter some type of argument that he and the voices inside his head were having.

It was quite an effect.

"You see?" He stopped and grinned at us. "When people see me doing this, they figure I'm crazy too! So not only do the crazies leave me alone, but normally I get a whole section of seats to myself on the subway." Fair enough.

So dear readers, I leave you with these two gems of advice:

First, refine your crazy talent. That way, the next time you find yourself in a precarious situation, you will be able to dig deep into your soul and bring out your own crazy (you know you have it) to ward off potential predators.

And second, when you next see a crazy, a looney, a gleefully odd person, do not be alarmed. Sit next to him, perhaps even extend a hand and make a friend. Sure, he might be insane. Yes, he may try to serenade you with a Frank Sinatra song. But chances are he's harmless, he's your average joe, and he's just trying to make it through the night.

Just like you.