Riding On The Metro

I take the DC Metro to work, usually.

These days, my commute is free, I can usually sleep until 8:30 instead of sitting on the couch, dressed, ready and pre-work working while waiting for Doug to get ready.

The DC metro has been reliable, if not kind of dingy and dirty.

I mean, Boston's T is kind of super filthy in some places (hello, Red Line Downtown Crossing...). But I've found that aside from the occasional service outage, or the work they've done where they have to close actual stations and provide shuttle buses (hello 90-120 minute commutes!)  it's pretty reliable.

I can be at my Metro stop at 9am (because always late since Doug drops me off as I'm too lazy to walk), and at my desk at 9:30, or 9:45 if I take my time and play Pokemon Go while walking from my metro stop to my office. It's not a bad deal. It's about 3.50 each way.

I listen to podcasts. I listen to music, and sometimes I listen to life around me.

Sometimes in DC it is best to not tune it all out and have the earbuds shoved in good and the sound cranked up. I've seen some assaults, I've heard some fights, I've maintained my distance safely, I've always hoped for the best for the parties involved, or I've been personally relieved when I see someone else calling for help because I fear for my human form sometimes.

I've talked to strangers, I've had some great conversations. I've ridden to work with co-workers, sleepy and not yet ready for the day. I've come home late. I've used the metro to go to shows downtown instead of driving into the city and dealing with parking.

I like the newer cars, all silver and shiny. I groan a little bit when the old models come around.

In the newer cars, I like to sit right by the door, where the giant windows aren't flooding my face with the sunlight, and giving me a headache. I know that sitting way toward the front of the train on the way to work gets me dropped off at the top of the stairs at my destination stop. I know on the way home, sitting three cars back gets me right across from the tunnel to head to the elevators at my home stop.

I've gotten to know the system.

In the past few days I've been thinking about the Metro, and the not riding it, and the not going to work. I've been thinking about all the people that I haven't seen. And I've been thinking of once we're back on the Metro, and how I'm looking forward to seeing the humans.

I very much want to look at everyone and say "How are we doing? Are y'all okay? So good to see you here!" I want to make eye contact, and see smiles. I want to hear sighs of relief that we're all going to be okay.

It's going to be okay.