Thursday. I didn’t mind the train ride, but I wasn't looking forward to it either. I sat down, lost in my thoughts, not really paying attention to my surroundings. I looked to my right, and a word scrawled in block letters on the pole came into focus, blue marker on stainless steel: PRAY.

Good idea. Immediately, I felt more present. I became aware of myself as a passenger in the subway car, and I observed myself as a participant in my own life. I began to pray.

I prayed for the ability to remain present in my life. I prayed for my fellow passengers. I prayed for those I love, and for those I resent. I prayed for those I look up to, and those I look down upon. I prayed in gratitude for that moment.

I silently thanked my benefactor, the benevolent vandal who reminded me to pray. I was reminded that inspiration comes in all hues and guises; God has many messengers.

I was also reminded that there is no wrong time to be spiritual, to connect with God, to raise ourselves to a higher spiritual plane. It doesn't have to be at a set time or place. It can even be in an ordinary place, on an ordinary day.

Pray.

Shimmy Feintuch, LCSW CASAC-G maintains a private practice in Brooklyn, NY, and Washington Heights, NYC, with specialties in addictions and anxiety. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University. Contact: (530) 334-6882 or shimmyfeintuch@gmail.com. 

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