Little Victories...

Sometimes you have to content yourself to be able to control what you can, and let the rest of the chips fall where they may. Because no matter how big, bad-assed, smart, charming or good looking someone is, one really don't have as much control over the world as one would like to think one does. And deep down inside, we all know it. However, when those small opportunities arise to exert your will to the betterment of society, it is most satisfying to say you didn't let them pass you by.

In these days of high oil prices (read: high gas prices), mortgage crisis and rumored recession, many people are turning to public transportation to ease their commuting costs. This obviously results in a more crowded train. Long time riders of commuter trains reflect back on the good old days when they could lie across three seats and sleep their way into town. However, those days are long gone. With each stop closer into the city, more and more people are starting to ride. The old time riders are fairly set in their ways and seem to think that they have a right to their three seats, even though like the rest of us, they only paid for one. To be fair, it's not just the long time riders that believe they are entitled to use more seats than they have paid for. There are the people who forget that they are riding a train with five hundred other people and think nothing of bringing enough baggage to hold clothes for a family of four going on vacation for a week. Where do all of these bags go? In the seat next to them of course! To the credit of the conducters, they are generally very good about enforcing courtesy (how funny is that to read? enforcing courtesy... good lord..) and reminding folks that they only paid for one seat, so their baggage has to go on the racks above the seat. (Standing is not an option on the train that I take... The conducters are very strict about safety.) Clearly, most people recognize that we're all just trying to get to work and are very courteous about making room for other passengers, even if they aren't really happy about it. Regardless, the power struggle is always amusing to watch when the train starts to get really full and poor souls are searching for a seat.

Usually in the morning, on the train, I plug into my mp3 player and tune out the world. I have my usual group of malcontents that I sit with or near but, for the most part, socializing is reserved for the evening run back home. So this morning, I was largely engaged in my own thoughts and music, mostly oblivious to the goings-on around me as per usual. Our normal run is going along smoothly and the train is filling up. Each seating row has a configuration of 3 seats and 2 seats together, separated by an aisle. I was seated in the aisle seat of the 3 seat block. In the 2 seat block across the aisle from me was a man sitting alone with his large bag in the seat next to him reading a newspaper. He was completely absorbed, or at least pretended to be which, admittedly, we all do sometimes to avoid being singled out as the "one" to have to move or give up a seat to one of the "poor souls". However, when asked, most of us smile politely, move our things and give up the seat. This man chose a different tactic. A meek, foreign looking woman was looking for a seat and politely attempted to ask this man to allow her to sit. Once, twice, three times she said "Excuse me.." and this man did not even acknowledge her presence, let alone answer her. She was completely ignored... The man didn't even look up from his newspaper! The populace around me began to gasp, whispering and murmuring "How rude!", still this man did not acknowledge anyone or anything around him. The logic, I suppose, was that if he didn't acknowledge the woman, she would simply move on. Finally, a woman sitting the next row back allowed the foreign looking woman to sit with her. I am not typically one to judge, or stick my nose in someone else's business. After all, what if the man suffers from tunnel vision, deafness, or both? However, I saw the man smirk when the foreign looking woman turned back to sit with the other woman.... and I knew this man was just a selfish jerk. Approaching the next stop, I knew the woman sitting next to me was getting off the train and suspected the jerk was too, so I prepared. When the train came to a stop, the jerk was going to bolt off the train but I hopped up from my seat, and backing into him, I blocked his exit from his seat into the aisle and just stood there while the woman sitting next to me gathered her belongings slowly... with a smirk on her face she walked off the train mouthing "Thank you..." to me. I continued to stand in front of the jerk until the foreign woman walked past me to disembark, then I turned around to look the jerk in the eye. He said nothing, but as I sat down he squared his body to me, to which I replied "You'd better just move on...". He then just huffed and walked off the train. The remaining passengers giggled a little bit at this and I smiled... But no words needed to be said. Little victories....