Perspective

New York City

Yesterday’s frivolity at Madison Square Garden was quickly put into perspective later in the day. It seems that Harvey Katz, 69, was alighting from his taxi on the wrong side of 57th Street and was struck first by another taxi and then literally thrown under a moving bus. I happened upon the scene moments after the accident, amidst wide-eyed alarm, sobbing, commotion, blaring sirens and the specter of Mr. Katz’s lone shoe, broken glasses and considerable blood on the street. His body had just been removed and he was soon pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital. It seems that poor Mr. Katz had been delivering candy to Gayle King, longtime Oprah friend and editor of O Magazine.

I thought to myself from a Starbucks perch near the accident scene, “I guess that’s why I go to the Westminster Kennel Club Show. Life is just too short not to be fully and completely experienced.” And now here it comes…… As I reminded myself of this philosophical underpinning, I looked up from this very laptop screen to see that Deepak Chopra was seated two tables from me.