Dear Natalie of the future,
This weekend you attended an Obama rally of sorts headlined by Bruce Springsteen. You love anything involving a crowd. The more people there are, the more people you can watch. Oh how you, Natalie of age 27 love to people watch.
And you should look back on this day fondly. The day you saw "The Boss" play for free a few blocks from your house. You and two friends submerged yourselves into a crowd of thousands. You successfully fought every urge to retreat to freedom from claustrophobia and stayed in one space for over an hour.
Today, you were helpful. You and your friend (the female one) suggested short people "stand right here" to help them get a better angle. And when the short people's friends would leave, you let them know and gave them direction. When people wanted to get by, you let them pass. When drunken assholes with full cups of beer stomped through the crowd yelling incoherents towards the stage, you politely stared forward and waited for them to move on.
When a man approached your friend with a medallion showing the astrological sign for Taurus and started speaking in numbers, you weren't rude at all. Even when you ignored him. And as he went on and on, only reciting birthdays, you stopped ignoring him and engaged him in conversation. "Who's birthday is that? I do believe you. Oh, yes, that is a pretty Jesus bracelet."
This is where you take after your mother. The people that no one else will talk to always find you. And you only encourage them.
The numbers man watched mass at 5:30 this morning and then watch Action News. He listened to Thunder Road for 2 and a half hours and traveled 20 miles to be here. "Bruce Springsteen is 37 minutes late," he tells you.
On this day, when the numbers man didn't stop talking for more than 4 seconds, you were grateful that your male friend was there to step in and say, "Why don't you stand near me honey?" Your friend did an excellent job at intervening by lighting a cigarette and chasing the numbers man away with a cloud of smoke.
When Bruce Springsteen comes on, the thousands of people on the street are happy. And you watch them be happy. You seek out the die hard Boss fans and watch their movements. The look of satisfaction on their faces. The corny sense of unity in the city and the intro to the 2nd song give you goosebumps. Your face might even leak- but just a little.
On this day you're appreciative of living in Philadelphia.
Your friend,
Natalie of 2008
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