Trifter

In the 1970s my mom was a working mom and she owned her own salon.  We lived in the suburbs an hour or so away from the city of Toronto.  Before kindergarten my Mom would take me to work with her.  We’d take a bus to the train station, then hop on the Double Decker GO TRAIN arrive at Union Station, take a subway for a few stops and then take the street car. It was a total of four modes of transportation and if there where no delays, it took about 1 hour and 15 minutes. My mom did not have a driver’s license but that is another story.

I absolutely loved it!  It was adventurous and I loved the views from the train. I really enjoyed the time that I got to spend with my mom.  I was the youngest of seven and no other sibling had the opportunity to do this daily trip with her.  I played with my etch-a sketch and was in awe of the burgeoning skyline of Toronto.  I saw the CN Tour, the tallest free standing structure in the world (at the time) get built! So no wonder why I consider myself to be COSMPOLITAN, and I don’t mean it with any arrogance.  I love world class cities and have lived in Montreal, New York and San Francisco.  I also enjoy the adventure of going to a new place and figuring out how to get around by public transportation.  You can drop me anywhere and I’ll figure it out.  It is interesting to me that in cities like Los Angeles public transportation, I guess because of its inefficiency is looked down upon whereas in New York it is essential.  I figure, why not make it essential in every city so that we have a greener planet. 

I was on the BART train in San Francisco last week, the first time in awhile. I parked my car in one of the old neighborhoods that I use to live and took the train into the city for a holiday luncheon party.  After the first stop a Latino family got on the train. They consisted of a mother with four children and grandma.  I just knew that it was the children’s first ride on a subway, except for the oldest child.  He seemed a bit more experienced.  The youngest boy was a toddler.  He was so cute; I just wanted to take him home.  He was smiling and I smiled back at him.  The second boy was about 4 years old and was sitting beside his older brother; he was captivated by the sounds of the train and was taking the lead from his brother on how to “act”.  The girl was about 5 years old and she was in awe of the sights around her, the train went through tunnels as well as outdoors and when the train emerged in to the daylight she let a an OH!  While in the tunnel she asked her mom what the white things were. Her mom explained that they were lights.  The oldest boy set the stage for the rest of his siblings.  He bounced up and down on the seat and made his experience of the train into the thrill of a rollercoaster ride.  Grandma looked at me with a nodding smile, as if to say, Yes isn’t this an adventure for them.  I glanced around at the rest of the riders and realized no one was enjoying this scene as much as me. They all kind of looked like zombies going through the day to day of life.  

I thought to myself if only we as adults could experience each day with the newness and fresh eyes, joy and excitement like what these kids were doing; our world would be a different place.  I was reminded of the song With a Child’s Heart written by Stephen Schwartz and made popular by Michael Jackson in 1973 and also covered by Stevie Wonder (1966) and Raven-Symone (1999).

The family’s ride was finished in about 12 minutes, they traveled 2 stops.  Yet the experience had a huge shift in my being and consciousness as I am reminded to look at the world with fresh eyes and enjoy each day.  It also brought back memories of my trips to the city at 4 years old. There was one thing that I realized in retrospect about my journeys.  I would get to my mom’s salon and often spend less than 15 minutes there.  My Dad worked shifts he’d arrive pick me up and take me right back home. This arrangement allowed for continual care without the use of a babysitter.  I give my parents props for their ingenuity and creativity. Little do they know that the value that they instilled in me was to enjoy the ride as well as the destination.