Old Sock Drawer

Currently listening to: “All The Old Showstoppers” – The New Pornographers

Today, I had the good fortune of being on a relatively empty bus going to UBC. In fact, here is a diagram of the bus (Paint, I LOVE YOU) :

As I got on the bus, the seats which were occupied were as follows: the three orange seats in the front, the lime green seat on the left, and the pink seat on the left. I sat at the very back of the bus, in the purple seat, and observed as people got on the bus.

A lady got on, and sat down on the blue seat, forming a nice square with lots of empty space between the four of us at the back of the bus. The next seats to fill up over the next few bus stops were the turquoise seats at the front of the bus; nobody ventured to sit next to another person. Subsequently, the gentleman sitting on the lime green seat left; at the next stop, it was promptly filled up. This pattern continued: as the lady on the blue seat left, it was quickly filled. The empty space between the passengers persisted. The red seats were next to be filled up, and only after that did people venture to sit next to another person as there was absolutely no way to avoid it. Which was quite interesting, because 1. people kept to themselves; 2. nobody spoke a word throughout the entire bus ride, with the exception of the answering of a phone call by one of the passengers; 3. everyone was quite fine with it.

Which led me to recall something a small-town friend of mine once said.
“You city people are so cold. you walk and avoid each other’s gazes; on the bus, you don’t sit next to people unless you have to; you don’t say hi to anyone on the street.”

Having grown up in the city (and multiple others), I am no stranger to the above comment. But I still disagree. And as fascinating as I find the bus observation, it doesn’t bother me too much. True, city people can be a tad more cautious. We may not be as touchy-feely as some others. And we value our personal space. I like having space to toss my umbrella on the bus. And if there’s an empty seat, I’ll take it, if only so that I won’t be splaying my damp umbrella over some other equally tired person’s feet. Not saying hi to people on the street is really a matter of sensibility and practicality; after all, with approximately 500 people passing you on the way to school, it is just really not practical to stop and greet everyone. It does take time to get to know people. But that’s the beauty of life, is it not? To pause and actively work on understanding and knowing others instead of taking it for granted. To really find, among that lot, people who share a mutual understanding, instead of settling for whatever’s within an arm’s reach. And yes, it takes time, but eventually, it’s…nice.

City people aren’t cold. Even if we like to sit alone on the bus. Even if we avert our gazes. Even if we aren’t always bounding with manic chipper energy. City people are like crémé brûlée…take a moment or two, crack the surface, and enjoy the treacly goodness beneath.