A Special Thank You

To the Red Line conductor at Union Station at approximately 7:42 this morning:

I stepped outside into one degree of "warmth," hauled ass to Union Station, picked up the pace when I realized that an Amtrak train had arrived early, and then got stuck behind someone on the escalators. The panic set in.

I saw the train waiting, ready to transport the commuting masses toward Shady Grove. I leaped off of the escalator and ran toward the rear of the train. To my dismay, the chimes sounded and the doors closed. I slowed my pace, frustrated, saddened, dejected -- especially when I noticed that the next train wouldn't arrive for four minutes. The Amtrak passengers were almost here! They would soon be upon me! It didn't look good...

And then, a stroke of luck! You must have spied me, noted my desperation, and reopened the doors. Perhaps you were impressed with my full-on sprint and wanted to reward my energy, or maybe there was a problem with a door elsewhere. EITHER WAY, I don't care. I scurried onto the train to find it nearly empty, and when I switched lines at Gallery Place, the lower platform was deserted. It was like the dream commute. And on a Monday morning, no less!

You don't know it, but you set off a chain of events that made this Donut experience a very happy Monday. Thank you, Red Line conductor. Thank you very much.