It's HUGE!

I have shared my personal space bubble with more people in the past 4 days than in the previous four months. Okay, maybe that's not quite accurate, since there was an Encounter in there, but be that as it may, I have shared it quite a bit recently. And my personal space bubble is extremely important, guarded and huge.

However, if you want to get anywhere in the Metro area during just about any hours of the day and you don't have a car to protect your bubble with a metal, traffic-braving, can't-be-parked-anywhere cage, you will find yourself sharing space with all sorts of people.

I am a commuter, something I never wanted to be. Now that I am, however, I find that the whole thing fascinates me, and it doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would. Granted, by the end of the summer, I might be singing a different tune.

It's funny how we keep family, co-workers, friends at a physical distance all day long, and then crowd as close as we can to perfect strangers in order to fit everyone on a train. Or the agony we suffered in middle school when we had to sit beside a stranger on the bus, compared to the relief in simply finding a seat. The composed manner in which businessmen conduct themselves, until they have to sprint to make it to their chosen transit before it pulls out without them.

And the cross section of people! Men in business attire and backpacks, women in suits and sneakers, soldiers in BDUs, a smattering of humanity with suitcases and travel plans... and at least seven pro-life interns scatter throughout the Metro system. I like the freedom and self-sufficiency, as well as (parking permitting) the relative cheapness, of a car, but the people watching on buses and the Metro is unparalleled.

Take for instance the fact that the 7am bus to the Pentagon was completely silent, whereas the 9:45 bus to Springfield was filled with a variety of conversation. The knack commuters have for looking around without actually seeing anyone. The confident stride of a seasoned commuter versus the meander route of the confused tourist. The perpetual school groups in matching t-shirts or name badges.

The major downsides are the temporal and financial drains. I think we should extend the metro to Potomac Mills and save me a bus ride.