Taking it a stop at a time

So, of course, on this blog, I write about my Metro experiences to and from school. You guys know that. I have plenty of other stories to post up, just haven’t invested the time in doing so; I know many of you don’t mind, or have really noticed, that I haven’t posted lately, but I’ll get back to it this week. Not trying to fish for a compliment here or anything, just trying to be real with you guys. There are one too many cat photos, Harry Potter quotes, or pictures of food on Tumblr that keep you all occupied.

I keep a pretty normal front about Metro stuff, but since I’ve had to take Metro so much recently, there’s only one thing that I get scared of while riding. It’s not getting shanked, or shot, or arrested (though I think I have every right to be, yeah?).

The biggest thing for me is getting into a fatal accident on Metro.

Maybe it’s one of those lame things to be scared of, especially on Metro, but that is the one huge thing that scares me legitimately. It was actually a couple weeks ago that I was on a Gold Line rail and the rail before us ran into a car. I don’t really know what happened, but I know we were delayed for a while and the accident didn’t look very good when we went by it.

Then maybe a couple days later, I was delayed from getting home because there had been an accident on Blue Line that had backed the system up a bit. They never tell you what actually happens, so you’re clueless about what’s really going on. All people will think is, aww shit I’m gonna be late.

And these are just 2 examples; recently, I was on a bus that got into a minor accident, and I was not in the least bit amused or feeling good after that. I’ve heard about other accidents over the years and I’m sure you guys have, too if you pay attention to the news. 

And it really got me thinking: What if I’m a bus and we get into an accident? What then? Sure, the bus driver is a good driver, but that doesn’t mean that some drunk idiot on the road is being good, too. Just because you’re safe doesn’t mean those around you are like you, do you know what I mean?

Did you read the post titled “#3- Hey, where your folks at?” a while back? I was trying to drive a point across in it.

I had said that we somehow always think of ourselves as an exception to reality; that all the bad things happen to others, or at least that’s what we want ourselves to believe; that somehow, we are protected by this “I am special” kind of bubble, a bubble that protects us from the unthinkable things that happen around us. All those negative things you see and hear on the news, we tell ourselves “Thank God that didn’t happen to me” or “Oh, well, I’m glad that wouldn’t happen to me”… maybe you don’t and I’m making a broad assumption, but I know I’ve thought it at one point. Maybe we’re just trying to be optimistic and not so pessimistic about life. Or maybe we choose to ignore it.

We aren’t an exception to anything; some of us are just fortunate enough to not have those kinds of thing happen to us. And for those of you who have dealt with some of those harsh things, then you know what I’m saying. I’m lucky enough to be alive and well, but doesn’t mean I’m any more special than anyone else. I’ve been mugged at gun point, had a friend shot in a drive by right next to me, beat up, nearly hit by cars on several occasions, and how in the hell am I still alive?

And the universal thing I take from all this is that this little bubble of security you may or may not think you have is fragile; all it takes is one little needle, one spec, one little disturbance in the air to pop that bubble and expose you to a reality you thought wasn’t applicable to you.

And as dark as that sounds, I apply it to Metro transit; every time I get off, I breathe a little easier; I’m worried one day I’ll get into an accident that is out of my control and something awful will happen. That my mom will be waiting for me to call and I’ll be stuck underground on Red Line or sprawled out on the 260. I don’t have bad dreams about it, but I’ll get chills once in a while when I hear about a rail I’ve been on recently gets into an accident, and all I can think about is that could have been me.

And in a sense, that’s what these stories I write about are, a distraction for myself; of course I don’t constantly worry about dying on Metro, that’s an awful way to live, but when I need to take my mind off of that possible reality, things happen on Metro that open my mind up and get me thinking. And then I write my stories, so I can journal what I do and remember not everything is bad. And so that you can enjoy them. I hope you can take something away from these stories, too, because I have so far.

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So this was actually pretty personal to write. I hope you guys didn’t get too depressed reading this. It’s just something that’s been on my mind lately and I thought I should write it out but not keep it private. I don’t mean to sound like I’m preaching to you all or calling people out, it’s just something I think we all forget about sometimes. Back to “normal” stories on Monday night! And again, I really appreciate you who read my stories and leave feed back; you guys are my friends, so thank you! Smiley Face.

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