I’m not sure if this is a popular opinion or not. Yes, sometimes the train is late or crowded or smelly, but how cool is it that we get to speed around the city in a little traincar full of fellow travelers? Also, on many of the routes I take through Boston, the trains ride above ground, so I get to look at everything. People carrying groceries back from the store, dogs getting walked across the street, cars struggling to get off the train tracks so everyone can be on their way…it’s magical.

The train is also a huge testament to how far being nice can take you. I started saying good morning to the lady who drives the 5:30 train I take every day, and now we’re best friends! She doesn’t know it yet, but we are (someone’s getting cookies for Christmas). The day I took my cat home from the shelter after adopting her, I got into a lovely conversation with a passenger who thought she was cute. She had just finished a master’s program that I was considering! And last weekend on my way to the movies, I rode the train like 20 stops next to this older couple. When I sat down in the movie theater, that same couple was right next to me! And they remembered too!

Life is amazing. Look around, etc. You won’t regret it.