Over the past few weeks I have been taking the train a little more regularly that I would have liked. Poor weather, illness and even a touch of Laziness brought on the hard winter commute. There are some benefits though of being lazy.
It’s not only the fact half the journey is completed in the warm and dry with no maniac drivers trying to knock you off that makes train travel so enjoyable. The best part of the huge array of different people and personalities you see.
You see the heart-warming moments with families travelling with young kids from whom it is obviously their first train trip. You also get to see:
The business commuter sat on his laptop form the moment he sits down. The type that obviously has such an important job that he cannot relax and read the paper on his way to work, he has to work on his way to work, despite his journey on the train being 15 minutes - he'll die young of stress!
You get the 8am Stella drinker - oh yes, I have seen him on his journey to visit his daughter. Very friendly chap I must add and happy to speak to anyway who will engage in conversation.
The Chav on a phone. Every week there is at least one loud, aggressive individual who decides to ring his mates and shout down the phone like Dom Jolly. Only difference being the language, hardly eloquent and full of foul language. Not sure the whole carriage needs to know Dave is a T***
There is the dolly bird that must spend hours every morning getting ready and is always immaculately turned out. The more enjoyable element I must admit
You get the ones you don't quite trust. They shift about, looking around at everyone. Their motive unclear.
You get those hiding from the conductor totry and scam a free trip - very rare though as the stations now have barriers at either end to prevent this.
You even football fans if you travel on the wrong day and time. Not a good ime to be in Lycra and ona bike. Fans taking the mick in a group environment is difficult to defend. Regardless of Wit and yr skill in retorting with funny come backs, you often end up on the losing side. Simple battle of numbers?!
You also get the flirt. Tends to happen Friday or Saturday night when people are on their way to town. Often the funniest time to travel. I have seen some real states and this is on ther way out, Very funny!
Then there almost everyone else, anonymous, in their own world, inoffensive and just sat reading papers, litening to Ipods and generally keeping their head down.
What I often think is how people perceive? All dressed in lycra, sweaty, looking like I’ve been dragged out of bed and onto the train.
We are taught in sales training seminars people make opinion of others within just 30 seconds of seeing/meeting them. It’s amazing how true this is when you sat on a train with all the different people. The train is a real leveller as regards the people use them. From businessmen to families, from rich to the poor. We all get crammed into the same boxes going in the same direction. And when it’s really busy we are forced into people’s personal space which whilst uncomfortable, brings out a different reaction form so many people.
If you have not had a trip by train recently, try it. If you do though, sit back and survey those travelling with you. It’s fun and remarkable interesting. Human nature never stops amazing me!
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