On a Brooklyn-bound F around nine last night, I sat next to a couple with a baby in a stroller, who were talking to the people across from them, also a couple, also with a baby in a stroller. The entire ride from Fourteenth Street to back to Brownstone Brooklyn, they talked about babies: Whether the other couple had wanted to know the sex in advance, if they were planning to expand their families, etc. And around York Street, it hit me that these couples were perfect strangers. They were simply talking to each other because they had babies, and, well, could.
I wonder if, when we reach certain points in our lives, we’re all of a sudden able to connect with others in ways we haven’t before. Sure, shared experiences allow for people to identify with each other more easily, but are there certain tipping points at which, no matter where one is in his or her life, we reach milestones that level the playing field?
M
