TORONTO: A chaotic commute

By Sharon D’Souza

Source: www.livingcitymagazine.com

Last winter Toronto was struck by a severe snowstorm. Many were encouraged to stay home because of the freezing temperatures, high volume of snow and icy roads, but I decided to go to work. My commute to work was fine; however, my commute home was a very different story.

My typical 40-minute commute became a 4-hour journey. Our public transit system wasn’t equipped to handle such terrible winter conditions. Buses were delayed and stuck behind snow banks; trains were experiencing constant blackouts. It was quite chaotic.

People were stranded with no way to get home. Hundreds were grouped into subway stations and bus shelters across the city, waiting for the weather to improve and transit to get better. I was stuck in a train without electricity, in a tunnel, for over an hour.

I realized I had to forget about myself and my worries, and take the initiative in loving, starting with those around me. I reached out to someone with a few words or encouraged another to
talk. Little by little the atmosphere around me changed, and fear subsided.

I realized that what could have been a very stressful situation for most became, surprisingly enough, a positive experience. Strangers started singing, talking to each other, offering up their seats and playing games. In the midst of the chaos and confusion, people began to care for and talk to each other as in a family.