The train on platform two is..............

This morning I spent an interesting couple of hours at my local train station. My mission was to give out a few pens and business cards, spreading the word for the charity I volunteer for. I haven't caught a train during peak hours for years and the whole experience was very nostalgic, taking me back to my early twenties when I was attending various colleges. That dirty, industrial smell and the slightly grim, grey concrete exteriors brought it all back. I used to see those train journeys as symbolic, I was actually going somewhere both literally and metaphorically. Equally I found the trains speeding through the station without stopping quite thrilling, so loud and dramatic, the wind threatening to whisk you off the shaking the platforms. There were also the usual mish mash of characters, kids having a laugh and a joke, smart ladies walking with skill and conviction in towering heels and individuals stressed out even though their day has hardly begun. Regarding the mission, there was a real range of both hostile and warm encounters, many defensive that I may ask them for money or worse still, their time on a frantic Monday morning. The world sure is manic busy these days and I found my heart going out to some of the more desperate looking people, late for a deadline or meeting even though they have already completed a list full of chores. The station manager said they were about to have a complete refurbishment, I hope not too soon as there is something strangely comforting about those grubby, anonymous stairwells and endless corridors, well at least for me anyway, Kat x