gratitude

yesterday, I was asked to attend a meeting in Boston by the president of my organization. I was one of about 12 or 14 people who got to test out a new website for the state. it was okay and I basically got to take off half the day from work. the meeting was at the Division of Insurance, which is located at South Station. so I decided to forgo any lengthy drives and take the train into the city. admittedly I was a tad bit nervous. I don't do this often. I rarely do it ever. I almost even forgot to bring cash with me, which would have made buying a ticket from the conductor pretty tough. fortunately the husband had a crisp $20 for me. (love him). I got up early. drove the few miles to the station. parked. paid. waited for the train. noticed that the "regulars" showed up 3 seconds before the train rolled in. boarded and sat in the most uncomfortable seat ever made. read my book and rode the train for an hour. I went to my meeting. bought a bagel and boarded the train to return back home. again, I read my book in the most uncomfortable seat I have ever sat in. while I certainly love the idea that I was saving gas and lessening my contribution to pollution, noise and crowded city streets....I longed for my car. the safe warm breezy interior of my little car. it's radio playing whatever I commanded. the ability to sing at the top of my lungs and not have to smell the guy sitting in front of me. I realize that people ride trains all the time, and if it were necessity I probably would too. I imagine I would fill my time with important reading and writing and suduku playing and I suppose I could take my gas savings and get a blackberry and also read email and the like as well. At the end of the line I would get to my big city job and collect a big city salary and be pleased as punch most days when I glanced at a traffic report; but yesterday I was ill prepared. so much to learn for a suburbanite taking the train into Boston on a Tuesday.