15 Of The Realest Struggles Only Commuters Face

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  1. Running to catch the train only to miss it and stand on the platform a sad, sweaty mess with newly formed blisters. We leave our offices with just enough time to spare but red lights, traffic, delayed subways, slow walkers and wild weather can sometimes get in our way. So no matter how fast we run or how many people we dodge we are left on that platform a defeated commuter once again.
  2. Trying to decide if you have enough time to get the extra fifteen minutes of sleep and still make it to the office on time. We reason with ourselves while half asleep: “I’ll just dry shampoo my hair and throw on a dress. I can sleep an extra fifteen minutes and still make it on time. There’s just no way I’m skipping my coffee.” Shout out to dry shampoo you’re a lifesaver!
  3. Getting stuck due to some sort of accident or difficulty and watching the minutes tick by knowing you are going to be late for work. There’s nothing worse than sitting in traffic or on a delayed train and looking down at our watches knowing we won’t make it on time to that morning meeting. Sorry, boss it’s totally not our fault!
  4. Forgetting your headphones for the train. “Now what am I supposed to do?! I’m sure as hell not talking to anyone on this train.” *five minutes later* “Great, now I’m bored.”
  5. When someone does not obey the unwritten law of commuting and sits next to you in a two seater. Maybe they’re new to this train thing or maybe they are too lazy to walk down an extra car to look for their own free two seater, either way they’ve just seriously invaded our personal space and it’s not okay.
  6. When you get out late from work and you get stuck on the train with every drunk person coming home from the game that night. After a long day we were just hoping to take a quick nap before our stop but instead we end up sharing a car with fifteen rowdy guys in jerseys one of whom just puked in the seat behind us. Guess someone didn’t have to work today.
  7. Waiting for the subway. Subways in general are a real struggle but for nine months out of the year it feels like you are standing in the Tenth Circle of Hell while waiting for the next one to arrive and do I even have to mention the lack of seats or the questionable smells?
  8. Trying to avoid eye contact with that awkward kid from grammar school who had a crush on you. *Please don’t see me. Please don’t see me* “Hey! How are you? I haven’t seen you in forever. Do you mind if I sit with you?”…well now that you mention it.
  9. Leaving just a few minutes later than usual can translate into an extra hour of traffic. So you forgot that file on the table and had to turn back around now you are sitting in a standstill wondering if you should’ve just left it at home instead.
  10. Deciding to get coffee before or after your commute. “Okay I have fifteen minutes before I have to leave. If I go get coffee now I can still make it on time. But what if the line is too long and I miss the train? But if I wait and I’m too close to the meeting time then I can’t get it before going into the office.” Decisions, decisions.
  11. Forgetting your monthly ticket at home…or worse losing it. Monthly train passes are a huge expense each month but forgetting them at home just has us kicking ourselves for having to spend the nearly twenty dollars for one way into work. Losing your monthly pass is even worse and the thought of having to buy a new one for almost three hundred dollars just makes us want to cry.
  12. Not having time to buy a ticket and having to buy it for twice the price on the train. Whether we forgot our monthly pass or we were just rushing and didn’t have time to hit the ticket machine beforehand we begrudgingly pay the conductor on the train knowing they are secretly laughing at us for having to pay double the regular price.
  13. Forgetting your E-ZPass. It’s mortifying rolling up in the E-ZPass lane and having the barrier not lift only for you to realize you are without your pass. *Cue the horrific panic* “OMG get me out of this lane! How do I get out of here?! Someone help me! I’m trapped!”
  14. The physical pain you feel every time you need to fill your car with gas. *Gas light turns on* “Perfect, let me just fish 50 dollars out of my bag so I can get to work today…”
  15. Trying not to get elbowed or worse trampled when everyone rushes to the train track. “Oh My God sir, excuse you! Just because you are in a rush does not mean you can act like an animal!” Not to mention if you don’t act just as vicious as the rest of them, you’re left standing the rest of the way home. Thanks.