Lessons from Public Transportation
Apologies for my brief hiatus.
I've partially spent the time between my last post to visit some good friends in the city. My visit also gave me the opportunity to use the commuter rail, bus, and subway. Here are a few of the things I have learned thanks to public transportation:
1. Women dealing with packs of small children and sugar high pre-teens was the best form of birth control I've ever witnessed. It was far better than the Flour Baby I had to cart around for a week in the sixth grade and much more exemplary of the flexibility of parental love.
2. Train selfies with friends were almost always accidentally photobombed by other passengers. I felt less bad about taking a few selfies when I saw someone take one in a bar.
3. Dog strollers exist for small dogs and are as useful as their human counterpart.
4. It was best to be aggressive when boarding the train/bus but it was permissible to be polite once successfully boarded.
5. People making faces at young children reminded me that humanity is alive and well.
6. Often times other passengers completely avoid eye contact with each other. This rule was completely broken when an armed police officer boarded my train in his search for a suspect.
7. Two strangers falling into a conversation can be beautiful (not as creepy as I previously thought).
8. Got indirect book suggestions from fellow passengers who read between stops and on the platform. (This method also worked with newspapers but it took longer to read headlines…so the chance for awkward eye contact increased twofold but it was worth it.)
9. Learned new lip synching techniques.
10. The types of conversations people had on trains made me realize that celebrities are somewhat overrated.
11. Bus Driver monologues offered timely perspectives on human/traffic follies.
12. The opportunity to express gratitude to public transportation workers should not be missed (especially after making change for the passenger paid their fare with a large bill).
13. I successfully gauged a person's patience based on how he/she/they responded to my oversized rolling bag.
14. A quiet train back home was one of the best places to write, think, or read.
15. The changes in landscape were interesting. It shifted from picturesque fall foliage to mountainous dirt hills with patio chairs on top.
16. Many men did this: http://mentakingup2muchspaceonthetrain.tumblr.com while others gave up their seats to the elderly.
17. Learned how to deal with the awkwardness of being in extremely close contact with strangers.
18. The word 'crowded' does no justice to the state of the subway during rush hour.
19. Xenophobes do not regularly use public transportation and should.
20. Simple actions radiated love: people lifting the seats to accommodate mothers with strollers; parents entertaining their young children; couples resting against each other; passengers giving each other directions; and friends laughing at random stories. These actions renewed my faith in humanity which is particularly important since I now have the time to really pay attention to current events.
21. Improved my balance while trying to remain unmoving in response to bumps, sudden stops, and turns.
22. Children narrating the mundane details of train travel altered my perspective.
23. The solitary ride back home gave me the opportunity to create the perfect soundtrack for the moment.
If you have stories (either entertaining or not), I wouldn't mind hearing them.
I've partially spent the time between my last post to visit some good friends in the city. My visit also gave me the opportunity to use the commuter rail, bus, and subway. Here are a few of the things I have learned thanks to public transportation:
1. Women dealing with packs of small children and sugar high pre-teens was the best form of birth control I've ever witnessed. It was far better than the Flour Baby I had to cart around for a week in the sixth grade and much more exemplary of the flexibility of parental love.
2. Train selfies with friends were almost always accidentally photobombed by other passengers. I felt less bad about taking a few selfies when I saw someone take one in a bar.
3. Dog strollers exist for small dogs and are as useful as their human counterpart.
4. It was best to be aggressive when boarding the train/bus but it was permissible to be polite once successfully boarded.
5. People making faces at young children reminded me that humanity is alive and well.
6. Often times other passengers completely avoid eye contact with each other. This rule was completely broken when an armed police officer boarded my train in his search for a suspect.
7. Two strangers falling into a conversation can be beautiful (not as creepy as I previously thought).
8. Got indirect book suggestions from fellow passengers who read between stops and on the platform. (This method also worked with newspapers but it took longer to read headlines…so the chance for awkward eye contact increased twofold but it was worth it.)
9. Learned new lip synching techniques.
10. The types of conversations people had on trains made me realize that celebrities are somewhat overrated.
11. Bus Driver monologues offered timely perspectives on human/traffic follies.
12. The opportunity to express gratitude to public transportation workers should not be missed (especially after making change for the passenger paid their fare with a large bill).
13. I successfully gauged a person's patience based on how he/she/they responded to my oversized rolling bag.
14. A quiet train back home was one of the best places to write, think, or read.
15. The changes in landscape were interesting. It shifted from picturesque fall foliage to mountainous dirt hills with patio chairs on top.
16. Many men did this: http://mentakingup2muchspaceonthetrain.tumblr.com while others gave up their seats to the elderly.
17. Learned how to deal with the awkwardness of being in extremely close contact with strangers.
18. The word 'crowded' does no justice to the state of the subway during rush hour.
19. Xenophobes do not regularly use public transportation and should.
20. Simple actions radiated love: people lifting the seats to accommodate mothers with strollers; parents entertaining their young children; couples resting against each other; passengers giving each other directions; and friends laughing at random stories. These actions renewed my faith in humanity which is particularly important since I now have the time to really pay attention to current events.
21. Improved my balance while trying to remain unmoving in response to bumps, sudden stops, and turns.
22. Children narrating the mundane details of train travel altered my perspective.
23. The solitary ride back home gave me the opportunity to create the perfect soundtrack for the moment.
If you have stories (either entertaining or not), I wouldn't mind hearing them.
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