I Heart New York

My heart sang when I read this little vignette in today's Metropolitan Diary:

Dear Diary:

My husband, who is the ultimate recycler, collects the sad, misshapen and rejected umbrellas that are often found lying in the trash bins around our West Village neighborhood.

Knowing of my aversion to collections of clutter, he hustles them past me to his study and spends quite a bit of time repairing them.

The next time it rains, he carries several repaired umbrellas into our neighborhood and approaches anyone who appears to be bedraggled, drenched or just plain miserable. He says, “You look as if you could use an umbrella.”

After their initial expressions of shock, their faces change to smiles of gratitude as he hands the refurbished umbrellas to them. “Have a great day,” he says, thoroughly enjoying himself. 

Ricki Fier

Photo via Flickr.