Remembering 7/7

It was commuter chaos on the tube this morning across the Jubilee and Overland lines as I made my way from Waterloo to Kensington Olympia for a trade show.

I stood like herded cattle on the crowded Jubilee line platform at Waterloo Tube Station moving just one step every few minutes as flustered commuters piled into the overcrowded trains.

I tuned into my music and tried to zone out from the hustle and bustle as I waited my turn. People were huffing and puffing, pushing and swearing trying to force their way to the front. I'm not one for being stuck in a crowd and focused on the music and my breathing to stay cool.

I scrolled through some flying photos on my phone and imagined bimbling about the Kent countryside at 2,000ft on a blue sunny summer's day. I looked up as the platform announcer said "Mind the closing doors!" and held my breath as I watched in horror a young lady in a pretty dress, who must've been about 20 years old, squeeze through a half closed door only to get her handbag and arm trapped.

An agonising few seconds passed as other passengers tried to wiggle her out of the jammed door. Luckily the doors reopened and she was set free. The whole platform seemed to exhale with relief and I glanced at a mother and daughter next to me as we smiled and shook our heads at the situation.

It made me realise that despite everyone's huffing and grumbling at each other in normal circumstances the moment an incident occurs we rush to help strangers in true British comradeship.

The tube journey took over an hour this morning and this evening the same journey took almost two. Frustrating and inconvenient but despite the annoyance I couldn't help but think about those poor souls that lost their lives 10 years ago today with the 7/7 bombings on London Transport and how frightening it must have been.

So next time I feel like a grumble or feel claustrophobic being in a crowd I will remember to be grateful that my journey was safe.