“Smile, the joy of the Lord is your strength." ~ Nehemiah 8:10
Riding the subway in New York
City, there’s not a whole lot to smile about. Delays, filth, riders who take up multiple
seats - there’s always something to rankle you.
The ability to sweeten the drudgery of a subway commute is
what sets Kenneth Burton apart from his peers.
While most conductors make announcements with calculated indifference,
he actually makes passengers smile with delight.
His friendly but commanding voice bellowed through the
crackle of the subway station in Times Square: “Be nice to each other as you go
down the steps,” he announced.
Burton exited the train
grinning, wearing aviator-style glasses and a conductor’s hat cocked at an
angle. Among regulars, friends and
family he’s known as “Happy.” Three
minutes later the train left … nearly on time.
As he chugged through the next
few stops, Burton broke into his practiced routine. Born and raised in Harlem, he’s a genuine NYC
tour guide. “Change of scenery; Christopher
Street, anyone?”
Soon, “Stonewall Inn Station - statutes, taverns and
libraries,” he enunciates with theatrical precision each time he enters
Greenwich Village. He strings out the
syllables of “Stonewall Inn” as if he were introducing a popular athlete in Madison
Square Garden.
Burton’s style is reminiscent of Harry Nugent, arguably the
most beloved subway conductor of all time.
He’s subverting the formal tone of those humdrum announcements that
passengers mostly tune out. But he
discovered that when he throws in a little friendly commentary, some ears perk
right up. His casual remarks do seem to
lighten the mood, as if he were joining you for the ride.
Burton’s improvisation, though,
seems in direct conflict with the agency’s drafting of official scripts for
subway conductors. But the agency allows
some measure of “flexibility” because Kenneth “maintains such great rapport
with [our]
customers.”
Clocking out, Burton drove home to his wife and four
grandchildren. But before laundering his
grease-stained uniform, he removed a small piece of paper from his
yellow-striped vest. It had been given
to him by a commuter several years ago.
It read: "KEEP SMILING!” Happy is what others feel when they board his
Choo Choo.
It’s been said, “There's a big difference between being a
human and human being.”
"Being human" means showing humane qualities like kindness,
empathy, and generosity. Years of
serving others taught Kenneth to always respect others just for being human, to
discover the unexpected beauty at every stop, and how even the most ordinary
job can lead to a career full of unrestrained cheerfulness.
Lord Jesus, sometimes I seem to be simply
going through the motions; missing the point of it all. Mend my heart, Lord for You alone, are where I
find peace. Let me be a branch on Your
vine, that I might bring forth fruit in the joy of Your Spirit. Amen
