Thoughts About The Monday Morning Commute

Tramlines Edinburgh

8.34 a.m.

Have just returned from my morning walk through the streets.

Walking along the city centre pavements with my stroller (I am the lady in the BRIGHT pink scarf with the BRIGHT orange baby buggy btw), contra-flow to all the ashen-faced grey-suited Monday morning commuters, I am suddenly struck by how many people:

(a) are all face-down glued to their screens as they walk in to work, or

(b) look like they want to kill me.

!!! What? What did I do wrong?!

– When did we all get so serious??? Guys? I mean, seriously people!

I feel like saying:

FREE SMILE AVAILABLE HERE ALL DAY!*

I know this is not new. But I don’t tend to hang around big commuter crowds too often. I tend to forget about ‘what the vast majority of people are doing’. But when I do, as I did recently when I attended a large conference, I was so struck by how we now all look. Take one person on their own, looking down idly distracted (or pretending to be busy) on their iPhone. Looks fine, nothing special, I suppose. We all do it. A bit.

But multiple this effect by several thousand, and it is visually quite striking. Quite comical actually!, to the casual people-watcher like me. Like observing a colony of ants. Do you know how ridiculous it looks? How lonely? I think we all look miserable and sad, lonely and isolated, tapping away and scrolling at our screens; while maintaining the impression of seriousness and ‘engagedness’ in our grey business suits and permanent downcast eyes, constantly scrolling away our time till something more ‘real’ or fun comes along……

We can we not beam and radiate? – even if we are on our own?

[*Disclaimer: Monday morning in the rush. Never a good time, you could say. Preoccupied and stressed. And don’t start on me with the excuses of why I must somehow have it “easy” because I don’t look terminally depressed. Yes ’cause I must have nothing to worry about being a mum of a demanding one-year-old and being self-employed with responsibilities, hard physical work and constant financial insecurity. But you know my philosophy. You know what I’m going to say. Life is tooooo short to look this miserable on Monday a.m.!]

I think if you get up early enough on a Monday morning and prepare yourself for a successful, achievement-filled day, week, life, then you have no excuse not to give the world a wee smile! Just sayin’!

Annie

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