Train in Vain

The past 12 months have heralded my long-overdue introduction to the world of proper grown-up commuting. For the last 7 years I have lived a sum total of 1.25 miles from my place of work, and had the luxury of the fact that I could either walk to work to take a cab (which invariably happened much more often that the walking).

So, as a novice to this commuting thing, I am still stunned by some of the things I encounter on the journey. Some questions I have often asked myself:

Why do people feel the need to eat the equivalent of a medium sized meal on the way home? Do these people have no kitchens, or is the lure of Burger King simply so great it can’t be ignored?

Why is the woman sitting next to me picking bits of skin off the side of her fingernails with her teeth like a woman possessed, and then spitting them out into the aisle? (I think I might have to move…oh my God she’s now picking her head.)

How interested are we in the social arrangements of the girl 7 seats away, who has so far covered every banal subject you can imagine, from what she is wearing on Saturday night to what she had for lunch today?

I could rant on….but also, I have seen some really heart-warming things. Like the whole carriage that have a train party every Christmas, and invited us newbies to come along. They even printed tickets and organised food. Or the set of 4 girls who meet every morning and chat like old friends, even though their only contact is the journey to work. And the very pleasant chat I had this evening with a fellow commuter to distract me from the amazing skin picking woman next to me.

So all in all, it’s still proving to be quite an experience this commuting lark. One thing it is good for is an extra hour’s work each way….or is that a bad thing? Time will tell....