Happy Commuting?

This blog entry is a little unorthodox for us, but frankly, we love giving praise where praise is due, and aren't always the admittedly bitter, though often witty, commuters we appear to be. Yesterday was an example of commuting generosity at its finest... And don't look so surprised, dear reader(s) - you know we only speak the truth!

There has been a lot of germ sharing lately at our office, and Sarah and April are the latest casualties. Yesterday morning Sarah was a little medicine-head-ish and forgot her wallet at home. Needless to say, when she was asked to present her train pass, panic ensued. Instead of scolding her, making her beg other commuters for enough money to buy a ticket, booting her off at the next stop or even asking her to clean the train car as a barter, the wonderful conductor simply said: Don't worry about it, I know you. And furthermore, he said if she could make the 5:50 train that night, he would be sure to take care of her then, too, so she wouldn't have to bum money off her colleagues during the day to make it home. So here's to you, Conductor 1010 (who is too modest to let us use your real name), for your act of commuting kindness.

Sarah was not the only gal to benefit from the kindness of strangers on her commute. Not only did a fellow passenger politely (and with appropriate eye contact, we might add) ask if April minded if he sat next to her (and not in a way that implied she better get her bags off the seat STAT -- the seat was clear), but he also inquired as to whether she had enough room after he was settled. But it didn't stop there. Poor April had a slight cough, which prompted her fellow seatmate to offer a ginger ale-flavored cough drop. Now that is proof positive of karma. Last year April offered cherry lozenges to a fellow commuter after a particularly nasty coughing fit. April was still savoring the refreshing taste of ginger and a pleasant lack of cough when the train arrived in Boston. Her seatmate commented that he was glad he had been able to help her and wished her a good day.

Our daily commutes may be full of hassles and headaches, skeezy old men and haggard bums, ladies clipping their nails in the seat next to you (True Story*) and men who put their shoeless feet on the seat (another true story), but there are also those rare souls who, by the very nature of their being, bring a little sunshine into our day. It is often a simple act of thoughtless, selfless kindness -- something as simple as a smile or sliding over another inch -- that makes a lousy day bearable.

And for this we thank everyone out there who understands that small kindnesses have large rewards.