brooklyn and the power of saints

i had a great time just hanging out in brooklyn this weekend. since i moved here 2 months ago, i've really felt the need to connect more to my surroundings and this was a nice first step. i went out to Prospect Park with some friends and heard They Might Be Giants and then hung out at a local neighborhood bar, talked to some interesting folks.

at about midnight i discovered i didn't have my keys. then i realized i'd left them on the grass in the middle of the Prospect Park. i told my friend i'd be back in an hour, hopped on the subway, ran up to the park and began my twilight search for 3 keys attached to the tiny broken head of a weathered action figure. a couple parks people brought over a flashlight and helped me look for about 10 minutes.


enter the saint: i'm not a religious guy. i was raised Catholic but quite honestly spent more time imagining ways to escape from church then attending it. Catholic mass suffers from a lack of special effects and a decent soundtrack. however, i remain faithful to Saint Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of lost objects. (He can also help protect you fromshipwrecks which is good.) my mom taught me the following mantra whom she learned from her mother:

"Saint Anthony, Saint Anthony please look around, something is lost that must be found."

i said it at least 5 times in the park. to myself, out loud. i never doubted for a moment i wouldn't find them. it was a mini quest. the park's folks we're about to give up and have me fill out some lost and found form, when i spotted them, nearly invisible in the grass. they told me i was the first person to ever return and actually find what they were looking for. i bid them a good evening and ran off to the subway, tipping a street musician in proxy for service from solid old Saint A. i walked back into the bar exactly one hour later.

(when i recounted the tale the following day to my grandmother, she said i ought to send a donation to wherever Anthony's headquarters were. And some day I shall. she then said i should ask him to find me a nice girl, cleverly adding she hadn't been to a wedding in awhile.)

i visited Manhattan for a birthday party on Saturday night and quite honestly couldn't wait to return to my new borough. the point is, we got the power in brooklyn. it's in the trees, it's in the air, and it's only getting stronger.