list #9: observed on the morning commute

1. If the train has already pulled in as I reach the bus-stop sidewalk (from which you can see the platform), I’m probably not going to catch it – even if I run.
2. It’s nearly impossible to juggle a travel mug and a book, and find a way to hold on. (Solution: trying to get up early enough to finish my tea at home.)
3. No matter how chilly it is, I’ll probably have to take off my hat after a few minutes of being crammed into a car with dozens of other people.
4. My mom (whose main quibble with Europe was its crowded public transport systems) would hate this commute.
5. Fingerless gloves make it easier to turn pages on the train, but then my fingers get cold walking to the station.
6. Even if I’m running late, it’s better to get off at Park Street and walk down the Common than to crowd onto a Green Line train to Boylston. For one thing, they’re often delayed; for another, sometimes I can’t squeeze through the crowd to get off.
7. The smells of the food court downstairs from my office are quite tempting, even if I’ve already had breakfast.
8. As long as it’s chilly enough to require a hat in the mornings, I will never arrive at work with perfect hair. (I probably never will anyway.)
9. I still can’t believe I get to stroll down Boston Common on my way to and from work every single day.
10. I have a much shorter commute than many of my co-workers, and I do not have to deal with parking meters or garages; for all of this, I am grateful.

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