I like watching people on public transport more than I like being one of them. Everyone is contained, slightly elsewhere, holding their own version of the day. There’s a quiet agreement not to look too closely.

Sometimes I catch my reflection in the window and barely recognize the person staring back. Not in a bad way. Just in the sense that I’m changing in small, untraceable increments.

By the time I get off, I usually feel lighter. As if sharing space, even briefly and silently, makes things feel more manageable.