I live near a hospital in Brooklyn, and every day healthcare workers come outside to cheer and dance
- I live near The Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York City, and every day at 7 p.m., healthcare workers come outside in their full personal protective equipment (PPE) to dance while the neighborhood cheers them on.
- Inspirational songs like "Lean On Me" or "Beautiful" typically blast while neighbors bring signs, bells, and whatever else they have to make some noise.
- A line of NYPD cars comes to pay tribute, as well. I look forward to this moment every day.
If you're not living in New York City during the pandemic, you might be wondering how we're even getting by. The numbers are staggering, the reality is harrowing — the city has been hit by the coronavirus really, really hard.
But there's a certain resilience that New Yorkers have that keep the spirits of a pre-pandemic city alive. I see moments of kindness on my walks through Brooklyn every day.
Written in chalk down the street, the sidewalk reads: "Tough times never last, but New Yorkers do!"
Over the last few weeks, I've seen seen multiple neighbors bring bags of groceries to homeless people on the street. And all throughout my block, rainbows made by children dot the windows with encouraging messages to "Stay hopeful," "Be kind," and "Keep your head up."
But perhaps my favorite moment of resilience comes every day at 7 p.m., when New Yorkers take to their stoops, balconies, rooftops, and windows to cheer for the essential workers keeping this place alive.
Without fail, people line the streets to clap for the city's heroes. It's become one of my favorite moments of quarantine, and one of the most important reminders of why I still want to live in a city that's been so devastatingly hurt.
I live about a 15-minute walk from a hospital in Brooklyn, located near a neighborhood park. I typically go to the park in the evening to clear my head after work, and each night that I do, I'm greeted with the inspirational sounds of a city coming together.
Every night at the hospital, healthcare workers come outside while crowds gather (at a safe distance, of course) to cheer them on. Someone always brings a massive speaker, and inspirational songs such as Bill Withers' "Lean On Me" or Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" blast through the streets.
And we dance.
In the most defiant of spirits, and in their full PPE, healthcare workers come outside to celebrate one another.
Crowds stand in front of them holding encouraging signs saying, "Together we shall overcome" and, "Our hearts are with you."
And a line of NYPD cars come in every night to cheer, too.
The result is an inspiring reminder that, even in the darkest times, we can take a moment to celebrate one another, and thank those who are fighting on the frontlines.
This is the New York that I know and love.
