A Thousand Train Journeys

When I was younger I wanted to get a tattoo of a train; perhaps I still will. I feel like 13 tattoos sound better than 12 anyway. 

Most people hate getting on the London Underground but I actually love it because I play a game (apologies in advance if you find this weird but I do actually do this).

I wonder what a person does for a living, if they even earn a living, if they are going home to someone, or a family, or no one. I wonder if they are happy, if the person they are texting makes their heart skip a beat, if their heart has been broken and if they dance naked just because…well, just because. 

I often wonder that if, in that moment in time, the answers to my questions are not the answers they want for their present life, if they will look up. And in that moment of looking up, they will find a smile, or your eyes are drawn to a stranger with knowing look that they share a similar sentiment, or you hear your first laughter of the day that warms you up.

When I think about all the journeys I have taken on a train I bet I have shared a carriage with people from all over the world, heard at least one hundred languages, been witness to someone falling in love, given a smile to someone who really needed it and shared a moment with a stranger who I may never see again but they change your life in a way I may never be aware of. These moments may never come again with that person and the thought of missing it, petrifies me. I do not want to miss any more moments where I am not looking up on the train because one moment lost is one moment too much.

The next time you’re on a train, think about playing the game and take a moment to share it with a complete stranger. I promise it feels so good.

Being,

Gizelle Renee x