Train Delay, The Twenty-First Week of the Second-Year in the New Abnormal
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The Q train came to a halting stop. An announcement immediately came on asking “Who pulled the emergency cord?” At the end of our car, a good citizen thinking there was a request to pull the cord, got up from her seat, pulled the cord, even as the train stood idle. She sat back down returning to her book. A hardcover, old school, though she looked barely 25.
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I was slightly annoyed to have my short trip home delayed. We were in-between the Union Square and 34thStreet stops. The tunnel between the stops is a mile of tracks and darkness. The lights were on in the train. As I looked around I saw eyes meeting strangers’ eyes, a rare occurrence in the subway. Seated neighbors started to talk. I remained quiet, looking to see if anyone was panicking. Surprisingly, everyone was in a good mood and remained calm. Perhaps that had more to do with it being 9:30 pm on a Friday night, the start of a three-day weekend.
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A seasoned older gentleman, well, probably no older than me, was reassuring a group of tourists that he had been through this before and we’d get through this. Others mentioned this had never happened to them before. Personally, I couldn’t remember a time the emergency brake was pulled on a train. I’d been delayed in my 42 years traveling underground, but this was new for me.
I looked to see that my phone battery was full, settling in to read downloaded articles. I barely finished the first short read when an announcement proclaimed we would be starting shortly. I assumed the vague phrase meant something different to the crew than to us passengers. However, within three minutes, around fifteen minutes in total, we were again on our way.
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It was a meaningful quarter hour. Strangers supported one another. Everyone remained composed, and we all clapped when the train moved forward. Rather than ruining a terrific evening, it elevated my night, giving me hope. Witnessing this sliver of kindness and respect reassured me in a city that is known by many as dangerous and cold. Given the opportunity my subway car-mates chose kindheartedness.
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Self-Care Tips:
- Offer assistance. Sometimes we see someone struggling, and if we open a door, help them cross the street, or give of ourselves in way that is not a hardship, we feel uplifted. We get when we give.
- Practice calming habits, whether it’s a breathing exercise or tensing & relieving muscles, having a tool in a potentially stressful situation will be invaluable when that tension-filled time comes.
- When in a public place, people watch. See if you can observe an act of kindness or a moment of care. You, too, may find it reassuring.