Opus of Thoughts

Aren’t guide dogs amazing? There was a blind woman on my train this morning with her guide dog sat at her feet. I spent much of the journey watching what he did. Obediently waiting for instruction to lead his owner off the train. At every stop he would lift his head and look over the passengers who came through the doors. I find it fascinating that a dog can have such a profound impact on the life of a blind person.

There’s a woman who takes the train a few stops after me, when it’s full. She’ll ask the person sitting in the priority seat (for the elderly and pregnant) for the seat claiming to have an injury that means she can’t stand. It can go as far as her screaming at the occupant of the seat until they relent and give it up to her. This morning she charged on and realised “her” seat was taken by a blind woman. This realisation seemed to make her feel guilty about what she was about to do and she stood until a seat became available. I’ve never been convinced that there was anything wrong with her but can’t be sure. I do think now that there is nothing serious wrong and she just likes sitting down.