Same time next week?

Posted by whenthiswasfields over 3 years ago tipped with 1K
Last active 9 months ago 1 response

Picture the scene – its late Thursday night, an underground carriage full of people slowly winds its way south, picking up the last of the office workers and pub goers, taking them back home after a long day and longer night. Everything appears to be normal, nothing out of the ordinary – the same places, the same blank faces. That is until a group returning home from a Lemon Jelly gig decide to blow up a balloon and start passing it about – first to each other, then to others until gradually a whole section of the carriage is in on the bizarre act of balloon keepy-uppy – people got on and people got off and still the game continued, with each stop bringing new players – and for the first time I can remember people actually talked to each other and smiled at each other and waved and said goodbye when people departed for their beds.

I realise this all sounds a bit surreal and I think it was really, but after 27 years living in London its nice to know that those people sat around you on the tube aren’t all that bad after all, and people can be friendly and be silly enough not to take everything too seriously. With things the way they are in London & the world at the moment, seeing people smile and mess about has changed my outlook a little (even if a little alcohol had been consumed by all!) and gives me some hope that things could get better, if even hardened Londoners can occasionally let their guards down!

PS. We made it from Kentish town as far as Balham before the balloon burst, but its replacement made it all the way to Morden – good skills shown by everyone involved, especially the lady who got off at Balham whose hair made balloon I burst. Same time next week?

Bryan

tube game community balloon fun lemon jelly

1 response

A lovely tale. Six degrees of separation is an accepted theory (not mine) that you know the world through 6 people. I think the modern stat on this is about 19 people due to population expansion but imagine trying to learn two new names a day all week.

Perhaps everyone is crying out to be recognised, understood and appreciated, and the tube and train is where the brain-dumps and our fried brains sizzle and fester. As this is neither glamorous nor sociable in many situations the faces stay blank. It is impossible to make time and effort to know everyone, but two names a day, think how many you might know after a month.

Calling the girl in the Startbucks stand outside Victoria by her name, she will probably smile and will probably remember that moment.

theory

Posted 9 months ago by kodama