Passenger through time.

I stepped onto the train and climbed the stairs to the quiet carriage with my coffee in hand, phone in the other. Earphones in. Music loud.
I scanned the seats available, most were taken. I sat on a bright blue seat, one of three. Next to me, one seat a part, glancing out the window to the countryside landscapes sat an elderly lady, somewhere in her 80's.
Perhaps I should have acknowledged her, said hello, asked how she was. After all, it may have been the only interaction she’s had all day, or even in the past 3 days. It dawned on me that there is a significant gap between us, and not just between our seats.
My busy, somewhat ignorant lifestyle side by side with an individuals calm, fragile and isolated character.
Nostalgia.
My Grandma fleeting through my mind, imagery so vivid, vision blurred, tears forming, physical response involuntary.
I felt connected through memory, through the past rather than the moment. This stranger was now associated with someone I knew. I wondered if she felt the same way. Me, an image of her daughter or granddaughter.
The slow motion of the train in sync with the motion of her eyelids closing, heart rate lowering. Now disconnected, removed from the current situation. I travel inside my mind again, reflecting on the tender care and presence of my own Grandma.
Protection and love,
sprinkled over me with every touch,
every smile and every hug.
Her hands, a soft blanket over mine.
Her heart, bigger than the body encapsulating her soul.