The C-O-M-M-U-T-E

There was a time when people commuted. That is, they got out of the house and used a means of transport to reach a certain destination. There were so-called public means of transport, too – multiple people, often strangers to each other, used the same vehicle to get between different stations (designated spots for short stops on the way so that passengers can get on or off). They did it, for example, to get to work, to the theatre or to town, to meet their friends for a drink.
There were in-person meetings at work, queues to printers, being elbowed in crowded corridors and too weak coffees made by the boss.
Often a short walk was required to get to the theatre from your station or the car park, one had to wait at the door, find their designated seat and there were those annoying others who sometimes coughed during the play.
Having had a drink one had to figure out a way to transport themselves home, not lose the keys or drop the phone on the pavement.

All this was a silly idea so we stopped doing it.
Now you can manage everything from your sofa, have a perfect coffee while you procrastinate writing the report, watch a live performance from a safe and cosy distance, and you can get drunk to your computer screen (bonus: you're okay to just collapse and sleep it off, you're on the sofa anyway).

The means of transport pictured is called a train; the space around it – that’s a train station. Trains used to run on tracks and you had to queue for a ticket. All sitting places were normally taken from the third station onwards so you had to nap standing up. There were lots of other people, together with their bags and belongings, books and headphones, smells and coughs, with their phone calls and make up kits. You were expected to give up your seat for the elderly or the pregnant.

One used to have to get up early and walk to the station. If you were late, you were in trouble – trains didn’t wait; instead you would have had to wait for another train. The timing was never perfect for your particular schedule – ten minutes too early or two minutes too late.

Ask your grandparents, they might remember.