The 7 train. I love it.

Some Tibetan guy eating a spicy somosa next to a hispanic family chowing down ghetto Chinese food from Main St. Music, noises, language, voices, angry people, sports fans, students, elderly couples… the list goes on. If there’s anything that represents Queens, NY, it’s the 7 train.

As I was coming back from 74th-Roosevelt Ave. Jackson Heights- (one of my favorite places in Queens, just so rich in culture) from my weekend babysitting job, I overheard an interesting conversation. Or actually, more of a one-way lecture.

A Chinese mother and her teenage (?? you can never tell with Asians, I wouldn’t be surprised if her daughter was in her early 30′s…) daughter.

The daughter was a lot more focused on the music from her big pink headphones, but the mother didn’t care. She was ready to teach her daughter an important life lesson. Perhaps the most important… in life.

“Is he cute?”

“He’s ok. ” The daughter didn’t even glance at her mom once while she was speaking. She looked apathetic.

“Does he have money?”

“Uhhh, I don’t know.”

“Now, listen. A guy is nothing without money. He can be very handsome, but a handsome man cannot bring you happiness. What will you do with a husband’s pretty face? You can’t sell that and make money, right? Just listen to me, … are you listening? I don’t care if he’s ugly. Just find a man who can make you happy- a man with a good job, stability, and lots of money. A nice house is always a plus. And a rich family.”

Her daughter bobbed her head in agreement. It looked to me as if she were bobbing her head to the R&B she was blasting into her ears.”

“Do you understand?”

As if she had heard that same lecture a million times, she bobbed her head in reassurance once again.
Her mother let out a sigh of relief. She looked accomplished.

 

Now, while I personally don’t know how to live or choose a husband like that, I admired her for some reason. There was a great deal of focus in her eyes. She knew what she wanted for her daughter. It was very clear, bold, and simple.

Whether or not I agreed with her beliefs or not, it was quite respectable to watch. Know what you want, and go for it.

A different outlook on focus. Life is like building a house. (oh, what irony in today’s economy…) You are thrown all these tools, paint buckets, pieces of wood, and a whole bunch of nuts and bolts. Now make sure you build that house the way you want it to look.