But not every day can be sunshine and rainbows.
I've been reading about the Holocaust which is leaving me feeling somewhat subdued.
And I was on the el this morning and I noticed that it wasn't just me, everyone was in a somber mood.
Not a single person was smiling.
Though one gentleman was wearing a ridiculous pair of skin-tight, stone-washed jeans that was tempting me to smile.
The book I am reading talks about how the Jews in the ghetto in Warsaw, amidst all the horror and uncertainty and death, still found things to appreciate and love and that helped them to get through it.
And it made me think about the fact that sunshine and rainbows aren't the ONLY beautiful things out there.
You can find beauty in a melancholy train ride... if you look for it. The camaraderie of slugging through the day with a bunch of your fellow humans. The rhythmic swish-swish of the wheels on the track. The whistling of the wind finding its way through the cracks. The stale lingering smell of fast food. It might not be beautiful in the normal sense of the word but you can find something to appreciate even in the mundane.
wouldn't it be a bit strange if people were smiling on the train? I mean realy, if one of those pictures showed someone just looking out to space with a big 'ol grin on their face, you would think they just farted or something. People will smile when they have something to smile about. Going to work isn't always the most joyful experience is it?
ReplyDeletePeople DO smile on the train. On my way home, for instance, I saw a little Japanese business man (in a very dapper 3-piece suit, I might add) who had a huge smile on his face.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so usually it is the tourists and the drunk Cubs' fans who are smiling, but people DO smile.
And am I so naive to believe that going to work shouldn't be a MISERABLE experience?
But on an el full of people there should at least be a FEW people smiling, right? Maybe not full on grins, but at least a slight smile. SOMEBODY had to read something amusing, or have their favorite song come on their ipod, or talk to someone on the phone that said something funny or just have an amusing thought pop into their head. We can't ALL be miserable!
Oh, and judging from the smell... I'm guessing that quite a few people HAVE just farted! :)
ReplyDeleteOh, how I love this post. Finally caught up on AYWN. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm the dork who is smiling all the time out in public. Lures some stinkers to me that way (not literally smelly folks..I mean some questionable people that I might not want to be caught alone with in a dark space if I were to be judgemental about it). Just thought I'd admit it now. Me. Dork.
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