Mental snapshot of kindness, Riding the Bus

Mental snapshot of kindness.  On the first leg of my morning commute, the bus had already begun pulling away from the stop when I saw, out of the corner of my eye, a woman who had been running up to catch it, slow down in defeat. But right on the heels of that, another passenger, who had also noticed, immediately, passionately, called out, “Wait! Wait! Someone’s coming!” And then the domino of that kindness culminated with the bus driver coming to a stop, and allowing the grateful runner, now joined by a few others, to board. Looking over at the helpful passenger— just as she made eye contact — I grinned, saluting her with a double, one handed thumbs up.  That made her laugh.  While those who benefited from her alerting the driver will never know the role she played, I did.  It was awesome of her. And I wanted her to know.

Seen on the Subway, Mother and Daughters

Sitting on the downtown train during my after work commute home, out of the corner of my eye, I observed the mom of two mini doppelgängers, helping the older of the girls with her workbook homework.  Possibly ages 8 and 5, they sat on either side of her, affection unmistakable as she was the magnet they both curled towards.  

Now, not only was she making use of the train ride to see that the work was being addressed, but at several points during the journey, when the girl was clearly having a difficult time with the work, the mother kept calm and focused, giving her time to express her frustration and then patiently kept guiding her back to the work at hand.  Playing the role of determined teacher, mom pointed often to something in the workbook, and nodded her head to emphasize a point.  

The younger girl kept herself focused on what may have been a game on her mother’s phone. And once, during a pause in the lesson, when the older was rummaging for something in her book bag, the mother joined the younger, looking intently at the mystery unfolding on the screen.  

When the train reached the end of the line and everyone rushed off, the last I saw of them, they were on the platform, mom still in the middle, but now holding hands, making their way towards the station’s exit.  Seeing that the older girl had traded in the workbook for a solitary homework sheet sturdily supported by a folder and the younger still held on to the phone, I found myself thinking there was probably still at least one more leg left in their journey.

Encounter on the subway platform

Yesterday, after work, as I stood on the downtown platform waiting for my train to arrive, another commuter came over. And stood right next to me.

But why? Was my first thought.  You see, to my mind, a relatively ghost town of a platform meant not necessarily having to stand side by side since there was, in fact, all this unpeopled, unclaimed, expanse of ground as far as the eyes could see.  By now, you may have guessed that I’m not one naturally inclined to gather with the masses.  If ever there are crowds involved, I tend to find a less populated spot to wait. 

Okay, I’ll just wait for the train and walk a few cars down when it arrives.  But on the heels of that thought, the commuter who, upon closer observation, was an older looking gentleman, signaled to get my attention.

Turning down my podcast, and taking out one of my earbuds, I heard him inquire if the next train was headed to Flatbush.  I confirmed that it was, unless, due to the current snow storm, it ended up being re-routed.  He asked if I was going to Flatbush. I was.  He then asked if I’d let him know when we got there.  Being someone who has greatly benefited from travel directions / assistance from kind strangers, I found myself flashing a smile and saying, “Sure.” 

When the train arrived, we boarded together and at first stood next to each other. But at some point during the 45 minute commute, we each found seats, and maintained a general sense of where the other was.

As we pulled into our destination, we made eye contact once again, and together, got up and headed towards the exiting turnstiles. During our brief walk he shared with me that he was from Guyana and had only been here three months.  He was still figuring out how to get around, but had encountered very nice, helpful people along the way.

I almost missed out on this pleasant exchange, I thought to myself. 

When we reached the turnstiles, we exchanged goodbyes and went our separate ways.  

But not really.  

I mean, yes, literally, we did. But it’s an interaction I’ll remember, an interaction likely to weigh in on future interactions with others in similar circumstances, so, in a way, it’ll always be with me. 

And it’s one I can say, without a doubt, that I don’t mind carrying around :) 

Seen on the Bus: Mother and Child on an early Wednesday morning

Sitting on the bus during the first leg of my morning commute, a mother, her hands full of child and stroller, boarded.

Leading with the stroller, which, even in its folded-up state made me think of a large baby carriage, deftly, she slid it into the space under the seat with her right hand, while steadily supporting her child on her lap with her left.

The child was bundled up.  In addition to the winter coat with the hood on, firmly, a lighter blanket, somehow fastened to stay in place, was draped over everything below the eyes— big brown eyes, made even more so by the unmasked inquisitiveness of its owner.

Barely settled on the throne that was his mother’s knee (I felt the child was a young boy), he immediately pointed at something off the bus.  Mom, cradling him closer with so much unmistakable love, pointed along, listening to and answering questions in turn— the exchange too low for me to understand.

At one point, the child leaned away from her— body curving backwards, limbo like (making me wonder with a smile, “how low can you go?”)— to get a better view of the passengers getting on the bus. I imagined those big brown eyes somehow managing to get larger to take in all the new.

By the time the bus pulled up to their stop, it was quite full. I found myself nodding in gratitude when a gentleman offered and then assisted with the baby carriage, affording her the opportunity to more securely cradle her precious bundle and make their way of the bus.