journal features

let sleeping folk lie

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Tokyo, 2008.11.04

A couple of weeks ago we went to the sea side to take in the scenery. The train we rode out terminated in the town we were visiting, and everybody piled out.

Except for one woman, who was asleep. I wanted to duck back in and alert her that she was already at the end of the line and about to start the long haul back into the city. But I was carrying Ken in a sling, and Mari had her hands full with the baby carriage. The train doors closed and off she went. I felt a bit bad about it, though to tell you the truth she had a bit of a "walk of shame" look to her and figure she hadn't really intended to come out anywhere near as far as she had.

I forgot about the incident until I walked out onto the platform of the Oedo subway line today. There was a fellow sitting on one of the benches facing the line bound in the opposite direction. He, too, was fast asleep. Then his train rolled up, and the doors stayed open for a while.

I whipped out my camera and captured the scene. Sleepy businessman in the foreground, train doors invitingly open just beyond him. The doors stayed open long enough that I was able to frame him a couple of ways. It was fun.

I seem to have gotten over my misgivings about not waking people on the trains in a hurry. Now I say let sleeping folk lie.

rand()m quote

It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.

—Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.