The Good, the Bad and the Ugly....

As most of you know, I've been taking the TRAX train to and from work now for over 4 years. Sometimes the commute goes well, other times it does not. For example, the last few days on the trek home there has been no air conditioning on the TRAX cars. And with it being nearly 100 degrees outside you can imagine what it feels like on the train. It's been so hot, in fact, that a colleague told me they had a medical emergency the other day due to the heat. The train conductor wouldn't even answer their call for help and finally someone on the train had to call 911 on their cell phone and have emergency personnel meet them at a nearby stop. I wasn't on the train that day, thank goodness. But I was on the train two days ago where it was so hot and smelly and everyone around me was speaking in Spanish that I actually turned to the guy next to me and said "Did I get on the right train? I think this is the train bound for Mexico".

Those experiences don't happen often, but when they do happen, they are very frustrating. It's those times when I think to myself "Why do I deal with this? If I just drove to work, I'd have air conditioning, I'd get there on time, I'd get home on time, and I wouldn't have to listen to all the people cursing and threatening to kill someone at UTA". Sometimes all of that just feels like so much to deal with!

That is exactly how I've been feeling the last couple of weeks. But then something remarkable happened. Yesterday I got on the train after work and it was packed full. I walked on looking around for a place to stand when all of a sudden, a man stood up and offered me his seat. Then another man stood up and offered another lady his seat. And then another, and another. It was like a chain reaction. This rarely happens, and I was extremely touched by the sight of what I saw. Then today I was walking to the platform to wait for my train. Another train was already at the station and was about to depart when I looked up and saw a guy standing in the doorway poking his head out and waiting for me. I didn't know this man, but he saw me coming and assumed I needed to get on that train so he was holding the doors for me. I waved at him and yelled "Thank you so much, but I'm not getting on this train!". I felt bad but was extremely grateful for his kindness.

In the four years I've been on the train, I have definitely had my share of bad experiences and even down right ugly ones. But somedays I have really good experiences. I have definitely seen my share of crazy people and rude people. But I have also met some amazing people who are very thoughtful and gracious.

So in pondering over whether I should say goodbye to mass transit or continue to stick with it, I I have decided for now to stick with it. Because in some cases, the good generally outweighs the bad and the ugly.