Radio Netherlands Worldwide

I was fourteen years old. I was in New York City, one of my first visits to my older sister who had recently moved there from Washington DC. I was not used to being in a public venue. I was feeling awful with all those people looking at me. I wondered, 'was my dress hitched up? Did my hair look funny? was I sitting incorrectly? My feelings must have showed on my face because an elderly woman approached me as she was finding her way out of the train. As she walked by she bent towards me saying 'don't worry honey, no one is looking at you they're too busy worrying about their own problems'. I can't tell you what a wonderful gift that was. From then on being in public became a good time for me as I realized that I was not the center of everyones' consciousness just mine.