Go Slow on the Tube
The Ben Hur-style crowds, the furnace-like heat, the unnecessarily loud tannoy announcements, the unsavoury body odours… Travelling on the Underground can try the patience of even the most zenlike Londoner. However, it is possible to slow down, both mentally and physically, on the Tube with a little guidance and inner strength:
Learn the virtues of patience
Rise above the herd, and don’t viciously elbow your way onto already overcrowded carriages – you’ll only get hot and flustered. Wait for the next train, or the next, or the next. It may take a little time, but eventually a quieter one is bound to arrive. You’ll arrive at your destination a few moments later, but infinitely calmer and cooler. Use your time on the platform creatively – compose a haiku, practice a simple meditation or yoga exercise or listen to a piece of modern jazz music on your iPod. Or read something edifying: Carl Honore’s definitive In Praise of Slowness is, naturally, a good place to start.
Write your novel
Don’t think of your commute as dead time - it’s all about perspective. Instead consider it a rare holiday from the stresses of daily life. At all times stay armed with a small pocket notebook; classic black ruled Moleskines are good. Write your novel, compose a letter to an old friend or reveal your innermost thoughts in your diary. Soon you’ll look forward to travelling on the Tube each day.
Help others
Lose your ‘it’s-all-about-me-me-me’ London attitude. Offer lost tourists directions. Stay alert for mothers with buggies who need help up stairs. Give confused out-of-towners (and their grandparents) comprehensive instructions on how to use an Oyster card. Offer your seat to those more needy than yourself. Smile at strangers. You’ll feel good about yourself all day.
Stand on the right
If you usually barge through ticket barriers, and career down the escalator two stairs at a time, tutting loudly at the idiots blocking the left-hand-side channel, take a step back. Even if you save a few seconds, you’ll probably have to wait on the platform anyway. Join the tourists on the right and pretend you, too, are on holiday in a strange, exotic place. Look around, take long deep breathes and enjoy the feeling of being in one of the most interesting cities on the planet.
Get off at the wrong stop
Add a little variety to your normal commute. Set off a few minutes early and get off a stop early or late, then walk. Enjoy the sights and sounds of discovering a different journey to work. Look around at your new station, the different people using it, the surrounding landmarks and buildings, the cafes, bars and shops you’ve never ever noticed before. You’re in London! Enjoy it.
Cheryl Freedman
Image by Cindy Andrie
