The Secret Club of People Who Read on Public Transport
How reading on public transport helped me find my lost time
There’s a not-so-secret club of people who never take public transport. I’m not a part of them. I live far away from work, and I’m not rich enough to justify paying for an Uber every day. So I commute. I commute an hour to and from work every day. Though I’m not special. Many people commute, most people even. But even though everyone catches the bus and train and tram, everyone has their way of getting through their commute.
Wasting time on commutes
I used to do nothing. Okay, “nothing” may not be the technically correct word to describe it. Of course, I was doing something. But nothing meaningful. I scrolled endlessly through Facebook and Instagram, and when that wasn’t enough, I went to Instagram’s discover section. I watched Instagram and Snapchat stories, took photos of the view outside for my daily streaks, and responded to Facebook messages. My favorite, and perhaps the only task I enjoyed was texting. I love texting (yes, I am a Gen Z). Texting can be productive: it’s a conversation. But sometimes, people don’t respond. Then I’m forced to scroll through newsfeed slot-machine hell and hope for sweet hits of dopamine.
