Reflections on the Way to Work

The morning started as any other, it was a fall morning, the air was crisp, and the leaves were colorful, almost at their peak as we waited on the platform for the 5:55am train to Grand Central. We each took our “appointed” place on the platform, the train pulled in and with robotic accuracy we took our customary or “designated” seats in silence.

For the most part, each person is a total stranger to the other but for their shared morning routine, one that in an odd way bonds them; each person taking a mental note of their fellow passengers, their daily presence or absence. There is this silent “friendship” or camaraderie between the passengers that is established. A “friendship” where words are rarely spoken but smiles or nods are exchanged.

As the train pulled out of the station, each person retreated to their own world by engaging on a mobile device, reading a newspaper, playing games, watching movies, drinking coffee, sleeping, reflecting or doing one or more of these activities. The ridership is as diverse as New York City.

You have the business person, doctor, musician, lawyer, construction worker, student, emergency service worker, personal trainer; the list goes on and on…… With the exception of a rare group here and there that is engaged in a discussion on the headline news of the day, most riders retreat into their own world with the sound of silence permeating the air.

One morning, without warning our routine was abruptly interrupted; there was the dreaded announcement by the conductor.….. “Is there a doctor on board? If so, please come to the first car.” Immediately and without hesitation, two familiar faces, occupations previously unknown, now disclosed, went forward to the first car. An immediate comfort and sigh, as well as a mental sense of relief came over the ridership knowing that doctors are on board and willing to help should the need arise as it did this day.

As a result of the sick passenger, the train made an unplanned stop at a station along the way. At this point, all the passengers in the other cars wondered who the sick passenger was and the severity of their condition. An ambulance arrived at the station to meet the train, the person was wheeled away and without hesitation, the train pulled out of the station and continued on its way to Grand Central. The passengers now each escaped back to their activities, but most, into their own reflections on what just transpired. The unknown of the person’s condition filled the air with a certain sense of sadness.

The next day, the spot on the platform where this person stood was now vacant; had the person succumbed to death or was the person going to be “ok” due to the actions of the fast acting conductor and to the kind hearted passengers who assisted him?

The reality of the situation makes one realize how one’s routine existence can suddenly end, without notice, expectation or preparation. The reality of death, while ever present is rarely something that is acknowledged until one day it touches your own reality. For a short time, the situation transforms one’s outlook on life.

The next day on the train, the bond of “friendship” with strangers seemed stronger, the eye contact deeper, the smiles wider, the nods more deliberate, anonymity remained but somehow, that feeling of “friendship” with our fellow passengers felt more present. A member of our “family” could possibly have passed away, an alarm or lesson in life. For each of us, a realization, that we are vulnerable and not as invincible as our fast-paced lives and routines have us believe.

There was a sense that each person silently and without discussion planned to find that balance in their life, you know the one we all seek to find but never seem to achieve; the vacation; class; little league game; the list goes on…… and then it seems that time once again passes on and life falls back to its old habits and patterns with one exception.

The exception is that we now have the sense of comfort and peace that if we were in a similar situation on the train, there is a “family” of commuters, “friends” who, in our time of need do care for us as a “family” and will be by our sides in our moment of need to assist in any way they can.

We may never know that person on the platform that morning, who they were, what they did, or who their real family was…. the one thing that is certain is that their family can be comforted by the fact that in their loved one’s hour of need, a surrogate “family” and anonymous “friends” came to help and it made a difference as their loved one was not alone on that fall morning.

In the days following, we missed the person’s smile, their place on the platform and their morning routine. The 5:55am commuters carried on in the person’s spirit and as we took our respective spots on the platform, we looked to the skies above and smiled warmly to let our “friend” know that wherever they were, their kindred spirit and presence lives on with the community of riders with whom they shared their morning routine with.

The presence of our ill “friend” back on the platform waiting for the 5:55am train was happily noted after a short absence, though, despite the shared experience, our “friend” remains a stranger, with the exception of the exchange of words to welcome them back and acknowledge their recovery. Like the rest of the riders, our “friend” retreated back to the “routine”.

Whether anyone on the train that day or any one reading this reflection really transforms their life to find that “balance” is a question we must each, individually reflect on and find the answer for ourselves. What better time to do it than at the start of the New Year!

An epilogue, years later I saw the gentleman working locally at Barnes and Noble, no longer commuting and he was very happy and feeling great. He was going to go home that night and tell his wife that someone from the train all those years ago remembered him and his ordeal that fall morning!