Needle in a haystack?

Although New York is a huge place, there are things that make it seem small. One thing I have noticed is that New Yorkers are creatures of habit. I usually go to Bryant Park and sit outside during lunch. Sometimes I bring it, sometimes I buy it and usually I have a book or a friend, but it's a part of my day that I look forward to being outside for about an hour instead of in the office. Interestingly enough, I almost always see this one man. He is dressed for work, so I don't think he lives there, but he is usually reading by himself. The reason I find it strange that I always see this one man is because I don't always go to lunch at the same time and I don't always sit in the same place.

I think most people tend to have a routine. Most people have their favorite bagel or coffee shop. Most people get their newspaper from the same person or walk the same way to the subway each morning. But, despite the fact that people tend to search for sameness, they are very adaptable. In New York, you learn to expect the unexpected. The day you are running late, the train will make you later. It will rain hard on the days that it's supposed to be only a 40% chance of rain. Just when you think you're having an easy morning, there will be a terrorism drill blocking the entrance of your building.

Then there are the days when you look at all of the people. The people on the subways, in the streets, in cabs, in buildings and you realize how small and insignificant your life is in the grand scheme of things. The majority of the people I run into seem to have a purpose, have drive and go about their day as if it is more important than anything else. New York has this amazing energy that people talk about all the time. What is it about New York that drives people to succeed even though you are literally one in a million?