Head Space Daily Words...

Tempers can certainly flare on the rush hour train. All those bleary eyed commuters, ready to get annoyed with one another at the drop of a hat. Last week, a woman with a European accent became extremely frustrated at a British woman's over politeness, in not wanting to push down the train to make some space for those attempting to get on board - something she could easily have done. This led to a heated exchange, resulting in the British woman making a comment about Eastern Europeans, to which the other woman replied, "actually, I am French." Priceless. You could have cut the awkward silence with a knife. To ease her spontaneous, yet inadvertent racism, the British woman quickly pretended to bury her nose in a book - probably a copy of Pride and Prejudice. Classic. On this morning's commute, I got on the wrong side of a fellow traveller, when my copy of Metro happened to touch his back. The second time this occurred, I sensed he might turn round and pin me against the side of the train. He managed to take a deep breath and count to ten. The commuter train is certainly an arena for grumpiness - often simmering discontent that will never be aired - that will accompany you on your journey, to then be forgotten once you disembark. My own commuter grump this morning, was with a woman standing in front of me, applying make up. We aren't talking a bit of lippy, or a touch of eye liner here but an all over face painting session - the full works. This is not meant to come across as sexist but seeing women applying make up on a train can really wind me up. You don't find me searching for a suitable area in the carriage to have a quick shave, expecting people to allow me the space to lather up and the elbow room to swipe the blade across my stubbly chops. I tell my kids that if they want to do things before school, to get up earlier, which is advice this lady needs to hear. A train is not a make up parlour or a shaving salon - it is a mode of transport. Having said that, commuter grumps can never be allowed to linger - once you depart the carriage, all is forgotten.