I Am A Mom and Pop

The Subway Ride That Changed My Life

Five years ago I was headed home after a long day at work in NYC. I took my normal route home and jumped on the subway. It was a normal ride home until a man stood up and pulled out a gun right there on the train. 

I had a flash to when I was a young girl working at my grandfather’s general store in the middle of Kentucky. I saw myself completely happy and smiling which is something I have not done in a long time.

The man started walking down towards me and in that moment my life didn’t flash before my eyes, things just became clear. So much of what I thought had mattered just didn’t anymore. The man came up to the woman beside me and started to point the gun at her but not 2 seconds later, an undercover cop jumped to the rescue. He took down the guy while about 5 others jumped in to help. They were able to get the gun away and safely restrain him while getting him off the subway away from everyone. 

After all of this happened, I just went home and sat there thinking: 

“How did this happen and most of all, why?”

To this day I truly think that incident happened to make me realize that I was wasting my life. I wasn’t happy with where I lived and where I worked. I knew I had to change so I quit my job, put my fancy studio apartment up for sale and headed to KY. As soon as I got there I felt like I was home. I can’t fully explain it but it’s an overwhelming feeling of joy/happiness that completely overcomes you like you’ve never known. I bet you can guess what I did when I got there right? I bought a general store from an older man that was ready to retire. How do things work out they’re suppose to? I don’t have the answer to that but I can tell you that sometimes you have to have a little faith even in a moment of fear. 

Never let fear cloud your judgement or make you venture away from your dreams. I knew why I wanted to go to KY but I didn’t have a plan past that. To be honest, it’s okay not to have a drawn out plan. There’s a song by Randy Houser called “How Country Feels” where I was that girl in the video longing for something else. Each day I get to see the country and enjoy it to the fullest. From a small general store owner to every business owner, keep moving forward and enjoy life too. 

I Am A Mom and Pop.

-Susan in KY