Where else can you see a thirty year-old woman who seems to be gainfully employed, sucking her thumb on the subway, a few seats down from a Taylor Swift look-alike? There are so many reasons to love this city. The view out the window is the icon, the romantic ideal, New York that they sing about. But a subway ride - good god it's just a bath of stories every day. Too much sometimes.

When I was a young actor, one of theatre's best qualities was that it forced you to neither judge nor wall yourself off from anything a human can do. To play someone, you have to be in them. You have to find a deep settling in your brain and heart for this hooker, killer, cheater, saint, suburbanite you are playing. I loved that near religious quality of acting. Judge not.

What I find now is - it's a good funnel for any penny to roll down. Helpful for writing advertising. Helpful for teaching kids. Helpful to make a marriage last. Judge not.

So I wondered why that woman was still sucking her thumb, against all odds for so many years. But beyond vague curiosity, I felt like cheering her on.