The stranger I met on the train 🚊

Stranger on the Train Who Changed My Perspective

There are days that start off ordinary and end up sticking with you forever.

This was one of those days.

I was running late, hadn’t had my coffee, and my earbuds had just died. The train was crowded, and the city felt louder than usual. I managed to find a seat across from an older man—probably in his 60s—reading a newspaper like he had all the time in the world. Something about him felt… still. Like he was unfazed by the chaos around us.

We sat in silence for a few stops. I was half-scrolling, half-daydreaming, until the train jolted unexpectedly and my phone slipped from my hand. He caught it before it hit the floor.

He handed it back with a smile and said,

“It’s funny how we’re all moving so fast but never really going anywhere.”

I gave a polite laugh, assuming he meant the train. But then he looked out the window and continued, almost like he wasn’t really talking to me—just saying what he needed to say.i

He didn’t sound bitter. He sounded free.

Before I could think of anything meaningful to say back, the train stopped. He stood up, nodded like he somehow knew he’d left me with something, and disappeared into the crowd.

No name. No goodbye. Just a moment that felt bigger than it should’ve.

And honestly, I can’t stop thinking about it.

Maybe life sends you tiny lessons through people you’ll never see again.

Maybe we’re all strangers on someone else’s train.

Either way, I’m listening now.

                       By: muniir