I have this funny habit while on the tube. Every time the doors open I stick my head out to breath the “fresh” air. Yep… kind of like a dog in a car. There’s no rational explanation for this habit (fresh air + tube = oxymoron), just something that felt good and stuck.
Well, the other day I was doing my normal fresh-air-seeking thing when I heard a voice call out to me:
“Hey, where you headed?”
I looked around for a moment and noticed the person calling to me was in fact the train conductor. My first thought was ‘aren’t these trains automated nowadays?’ I answered “Kings Cross” and proceeded to retract my head in time for the doors to shut.
Next stop, same fresh-air-seeking followed by the same conductor asking another question:
“What do you do?”
This question was a little more intimate – especially from what sounded like a brit – but nevertheless I replied that I worked in finance. We both did a head nod in mutual agreement that I was one of ‘those guys’ in the faceless world of finance.
This little correspondence went on for a few more stops until I reached Kings Cross and went along my merry way. Before departing I waived and said goodbye to my new friend and he did the same.
What a great feeling it was to make friends with someone in such an unexpected way. In fact, it made my day.
Since this incident, I’ve found myself in a variety of situations where normally I would go about my daily routine without much thought. But now my conductor conversation often reminds me that potential friends are all around us.
I plan on taking better advantage of this potential. I suggest you do the same.
About Andy Shannon
