New Yorkers are nicer than people think: Exhibit 32A

This morning I was on my packed-as-usual morning train (you would think leaving half an hour earlier for summer hours would alleviate the morning rush hour traffic a bit, but nope). As the train lurched out of the station, a tiny old Asian woman who had been standing in front of me suddenly flew toward me, knocked from her pole by the jerky motion of the train. I sort of half-caught her with my free arm, more by surprised instinct than any conscious helpful intention. Physics being what they are, the two of us then knocked into the woman standing next to me. All told, probably half a dozen people were stepped on, bumped into, or otherwise had their personal space invaded by the time the old lady regained her footing. Instead of glaring or complaining, as one might expect, people immediately stepped in to make sure she was okay. The woman standing next to me dusted the old lady off and led her back to her pole, while several different people moved aside so she would have enough room to grip the pole with both hands. The poor flustered old lady was apologizing all the while, but the woman standing next to me was having none of it. "I don't mind, I just want to make sure you don't get hurt! Anyway, she [meaning me] caught you, so no harm done." Disaster averted, we all went back to our Commuter Daze and moved on with our lives, and I smiled the rest of the way into work.