Angels In Plain Sight : In Transit
Hello friends!
Whew, I feel like everytime I sit down to write, I want to preface by saying “I’ve had a crazy month” and this continues to be true. I don’t know if it’s just me, or that’s just the reality of adulthood / capitalism (I fear it’s the latter) but it’s been a bit much to say the least. Amongst the chaos of my personal world, our shared world governments have kept my heart heavy with the way they continue to pass inhumane legislation. Ridiculously basic human rights continue to be denied to Palestinian people. Trans people are being treated like a trivial debate topic rather than human beings. And what’s worse is the fact that there are people who stand and support injustice proudly, then turn around and say “BLM”, “I’m a feminist”, and every other “woke” phrase under the sun, and still not see the disconnect between their words and their beliefs. This is why liberalism and abolition are not the same.
I like to keep this blog honest, I mean, I have no incentive to lie here because I’m literally paying to do this (a quick shoutout to my favourite monthly direct debit, Squarespace). My patience is low and my rage is high and it’s been hard to write. I feel like a pawn in a game of chess between billionaires. That’s why I choose to savor every moment that reminds me there is more to this life than politicians and posers. Whilst pessimism is tempting, I remain an optimist and I want to celebrate the people who have brought light into my life and reaffirmed my love of humanity, which brings us to today’s essay, part one of two on the idea of seeing Angels In Plain Sight. Let's begin.
It’s 23:24 at Victoria station. I get on the district line and scan across the few free seats in the carriage. I plop down in the seat closest to me. On my right is an older South Asian gentleman, I’d place him in his seventies. He grabs his plastic bag that was leaning against my arm and places it on top of the large suitcase in front of him. He apologises under his breath as he tries to make more room for me, I assure him that I’m fine as I have plenty of room. He is still in a flurry of movement as we pass two stops. He eventually calms down and this is when I notice the gorgeous rings he fiddles with to keep his left hand from trembling. His pinkie is adorned with a gold band with a chunky green stone nestled in it. Then his middle finger has a thick silver band and an equally large blue stone on top.
I like jewelry, and rings in particular, but I am mesmerised by his in a way I can’t describe. That’s when the bubbling begins. I want to say something. This thought fizzes at the back of my mind, gathering pace as it makes its way through my body, causing me to awkwardly fidget with my headphones as I prepare to say something. What should I say? I don’t know until the thought arrives at the tip of my tongue and I find myself placing my right hand on his left shoulder and saying, “excuse me, I really like your rings!”. Now for the moment of truth: is the saying “stranger danger” for a reason, or will I be pleasantly surprised?
He raises his hand to his ear in a cartoonish manner and says “what did you say?”. I repeat myself and gesture to his hand. He laughs and says, “thank you” with a wide grin. I smile back at him, pleased with the fact I have another friendly interaction with a stranger to add to my list in support of humans being predominantly kind. I turn my body away to continue with my solo commute when he leans towards me. He points to the green rock and continues the conversation, “this is emerald, which is ruled by Mercury, which is perfect for me because I am a Gemini rising. And this one is blue sapphire which is ruled by Saturn, my Pisces moon”. I am taken aback by his openness and I make a mental note to store all of this information in my mind because he was speaking so fast and I don’t want to miss a thing! “This is Indian astrology, which is different from the western one. I like it! We are not governed by the police, there is another level taking place here,” he gesticulates to the space in our carriage. “God puts things into our lives that show us the way to move forward.”
I am not an astrology girl, but I have a belief in God and I enjoy the conversations around people’s philosophical beliefs, whether they are religious, spiritual, somewhere in between or none of the above, because I think our beliefs often reveal more about our character than if we were asked to describe it otherwise. Fully enthralled by this moment, I enquire further, “ so what would my stone be? I’m a Libra.” He giggles again and goes “Libra is ruled by Venus, so your stone is diamond”. All I know about Venus is that it’s the lovey-dovey planet, so I’m happy to co-sign that, but the diamond?! The most expensive and most difficult to ethically source jewel on planet earth is the one I should wear to be in better alignment with myself? Not fair! I fail to keep the dismay from my face, and reassures me, “you don’t have to spend all of your money on expensive diamonds. You are young, you can start with 4 carats, or 1 carat. If you don’t want to wear the rings or find the jewels, that’s okay. If you don’t want rings, but you do want a pizza and that makes you happy, get the pizza! That’s okay! Believe what works for you!”.
*
This conversation made my week, perhaps my month! It was so encouraging to hear an elder speaking so openly about their personal philosophy and be so open to the beliefs of others. The older generation often gets a bad rep for being close minded, and this is because the ones that are the loudest in our lives, or online, often are, but that is not the case for all. We can’t believe the generalised rhetoric that the new gen are born as free thinkers and everyone before us is blissfully ignorant. We are here because of the revolutions led by our elders, and it is the “new gen” that is taking on fascist beliefs.
His line, “we are not governed by the police”, struck me in a way I wasn’t expecting. Though I believe this to be true, I needed the reminder that we are more than civilians being herded like cattle by the legislation that the police enforce. We are human beings, living creatures with a purpose that is higher than just paying bills and living for weekends. I am grateful to this man for his words. We continued to chat about jewelry and I asked him when he was last in India, and it turns out that it was earlier that day! He was actually on his way back from the airport to his son’s house and he was anxious because he was running late and he didn’t want his son to be waiting for him. Our conversation was cut short because I had to get off at my stop, but I shook his hand and thanked him and he said “may God make everything well in your life”.
It’s 19:56 at Brussels Midi station. It’s been a long day of travel and I still have a few more hours to go. I get onto my connecting Eurostar train to London St.Pancras International. I make my way down the carriages to find my seat. I place my bag in the overhead storage and sit down beside an older gentleman. I say hello to him, he offers a gentle smile in return which reveals my favourite feature on any face - crows feet. The sign of a life full of laughter, a life well lived. I pull my notebook from my handbag and start journaling about my trip whilst trying not to think about how I look to the onlookers. Am I giving mysterious? Pensive? Tuso, get over yourself! I let out a small huff of air through my nose as I tried to suppress my chuckle and hope that no one heard me laugh to myself. The gentleman leans forward and says something to a woman sitting across the aisle. The language is familiar. She responds and a conversation flows. They must be travelling together. I turn to the woman and ask her “excuse me, would you like to swap seats with me?” Her face lights up, “ah, yes please, if you don’t mind?”. The accent is familiar too. “No, of course not!” We do the awkward dance of moving in such a tight space but we eventually land in our new seats. The man follows up with “thank you! I wanted to ask, but I didn’t want to disturb your writing.” So I did look focused? Nice! “Ah please! It would have been fine, I’m only journaling!”. We laugh together and I take notice of their matching smiles and the crows feet that appear on her face too.
I begin writing again. I hear them continue their conversation. I know this language! There goes the bubbling again. Should I ask them? What if I’m completely wrong? But I go for it. “Sorry to interrupt, are you guys Brazilian?” Both of them are beaming at me. “Yes, we are,” they chime in true pantomime fashion,“we are siblings!”. I go on, “I’m trying to learn Portuguese this year because I want to go to Brazil next year. Do you have any music recommendations?”. They immediately begin conferring amongst one another, with the sister throwing out names as she gestures to the air, like she is building a list in the aisle of the train. “What kind of music do you like?” the brother asks. “Well, I love Funk and Samba, but I am also looking for more chill genres, you know? I’d like more than just party music in Portuguese”. “Ah okay, I understand”. The sister is still building her list when her brother turns to me and says, “give us a few minutes, we will make you a list!”.
After ten minutes of pretending to write when I am actually listening to them bicker, they call for my attention and pass me a phone with the notes app on the screen. The note is titled “Brazilian music” and I scroll through, finding more names every time I think the list is over!I took photos of the list and thanked them profusely!
*
Obviously, their generosity in making this list meant everything to me (and the artists they chose are so good) but listening to them go back and forth like teenagers just warmed my heart. It is rare that I see siblings above the age of 30 travelling together without children, parents or additional family members with them. To see a brother and sister just chin wagging on their way home made me so happy and reminded me of the relationships I want to maintain with my siblings.
When I told my cousin this story she said “I love when humans human the right way” and I couldn't agree more! I love love and I wish we were all more loving towards one another. Please find healthy ways to remain grounded in a world where it can feel like we are perpetually ragebaited. And remember the words of our uncle from India, there is more happening here, you can change what you are internally governed by at any time. It’s nice to know that “stranger danger” doesn’t apply to all situations, some strangers are angels in disguise and I hope you get to meet them soon!
I’ll see you in the next one for part two of Angels in Plain Sight where I’ll be discussing the gift of friendship!
