We all know the feeling. We get out of bed, shuffle to the shower, scarf down breakfast and get ready for our trip to school. After waiting in the dark for the bus or the train, we get in. Oh look, a seat! This rare sight brings a glimmer of hope to our otherwise dismal morning. You sit down ready to relax and nap on your way to school… and then it hits you. The smell. The stench of body odor, urine, and God knows what else that you realize is currently surrounding you. Next, the sounds. The baby screaming at the top of its lungs, the guy playing his music or video out loud without headphones. You might think something like “why me?” or, “I hate my life”. Now I know better. I know this is actually a good thing.
As someone who has had to witness things like this every day, it really bothered me for a long time. I don’t wear headphones on the train because I think it’s too early for music and I like to get to experience what’s going on around me. Now, who in their right mind wants to experience what’s going on in the train? Well, I do! I say that because getting to be a part of these everyday annoyances has really helped me to realize something. Because that homeless person who smells bad on the train car hasn’t had the opportunity to take a shower in a while. I can take one every day. That screaming baby, when it’s not screaming I’m sure it’s very cute and makes a lot of people very happy. Besides, babies scream and we can’t stop that. That man who is blasting his music probably had an even worse morning than me and he’s just trying to get through it. And then I take a minute to look and see all these different people, the diversity of culture, religion, ethnicity, and it makes me think how maybe this isn’t so bad. Where else in the world can I experience this conglomerate of sounds, smells, and people? I should be grateful for what I have and for what I’m able to be a part of every day. I should be grateful for the experience of taking public transportation.