The Longest Distance

So it might come as no surprise to you that I tend to move a little slower these days, what with my back problem and all. As a result, I have been missing trains fairly regularly since the amount of time it takes me to get to the station now varies considerably from day to day. Earlier in the semester I would still try and run for my train, but this universally turned out to be a horrible idea that I would pay for over then next several hours (or days). So I've come to accept my fate of being late, but I do my best to catch the trains that get me to school in time for my classes. Last Wednesday I felt I was actually doing ok for time when I left in the morning, but by the time I got to the station, I realized that was not so. So I was moving at a semi-swift walk (The fastest speed I can manage without hurting myself most days) in order to make it to the train. On my way up the escalator I was able to see my train. "All right, I made it!" I thought to myself. But as I reached the platform, the train's doors were already closed and the train pulled away. As the train slugged slowly forward  I spotted several of my neighbors sitting by one of the windows. Wendy, one of my many Chinese neighbors, saw me on the platform, and her expression instantly changed to one of horrified realization of something gone terribly wrong. She pointed at me and looked back to the others around her as if to search for a way to whisk me aboard, but alas, no such rescue could be performed. She gave me a downtrodden wave as I stood defeated and alone on the platform.

Although irritated at having missed my train by so narrow a margin, I was hardly surprised. I walked downstairs and got myself some bread at the train station bakery and headed up to the platform where my next train would be arriving. I found one of my Japanese Level 4 teachers sitting on the train, so I sat next to her and had a good conversation with her until we arrived at the campus station. I walked my way up to school and entered my classroom late for the Nth time this semester. Once class was over Wendy came and found me and said to that as she saw me on the platform she thought something along the lines of the following:

"The longest distance is not between China and America, but between the train and the platform. With a door closed between you as the train pulls away."

I can't replicate her accent or the way she stumbled to find the right English words via text, but the fact that she took the time to share her thoughts with me was really sweet.

I realize this post was a bit more theatrical then normal. But since this is how I chose to distract myself, rather than playing a game or watching youtube videos, I'm not going to question it.

~Daniel