The Kindness of Strangers

Maybe it was my suburban upbringing, but I really, really get excited about riding public transportation. I mean, you get to sit and look out the window, people watch, read the paper, read a book, knit a scarf...to me it feels a little luxurious. And contrary to what I'm sure the majority of America would think, I find it much more relaxing than driving.

So last night I was looking forward to running my errands via Phoenix's lightrail. Only catch is, from our apartment we are a little too far to walk to the railstop, so I ride my bike. What I dread (DREAD)is placing my bike on the hanging racks once I'm on board. Placing one's bike vertically into the rack is no big deal if you've got pretty good coordination (nope) or respectable upper body strength (nope) OR little enough of the first two attributes to silently solicit help from kind strangers.

As I struggled to get my top tire on the ceiling hook while trying not to step on the woman behind me or hit myself in the face with the handlebars, I felt the bike get very light all of a sudden. A man large enough to have played pro football was effortlessly hanging my bike for me. The kindness of strangers makes my heart want to burst everytime.