On Riding the Bus

Sometimes we don't have to travel to find adventure.

One day I had the great fortune of waking up too early. By too early I mean before the sun. Many great men have done well by living by the proverb, “the early bird gets the worm”, but I am no great man. I prefer giving the sun some time to chase off the devils and to warm the air. One who believes he must be ahead of the schedule set by the sun is too ambitious to really live. But this is not the point. The point is one day I rose too early.

Because I rose before the sun I was in no state to think clearly. So without thought I left my house into the cold and the dark of morning. For no particular reason I walked to a coffee shop. In a moment of temporary insanity I even thought of jogging. But even with the delirium of morning and the trickery of night demons, I resisted the temptation and continued at a casual pace.

When I reached the coffee shop I met many others who were either too ambitious or, like myself, too tired to remain in bed. Apparently a whole sub group of people denies the sun each day to gather at the local coffee shop. It is amazing what problems are solved and what philosophies are made by a group of people surviving on caffeine and cigarettes. I have seen these people in the heat of day, but I had no idea that they began their process of sitting outside of coffee shops so early. I was so impressed that they were not in bed that I sat down with them to discuss life.

We talked about politics, religion, and even important things like sports. To my amazement this group of people were able to formulate an opinion on each subject. I even thought of bringing up imaginary theories to hear their opinion. I was certain that given the opportunity to talk about fairies, this group could discuss the pros and cons of their existence. At least someone would relay a personal account of an interaction with a fairy. The ability of these people to talk about any and everything was inspiring. Perhaps I too should leave bed too early each day.

When the sun was fully at work and the air reached a comfortable temperature, I decided to walk to the bus stop. I never ride the bus and don’t even have a need to do so, but this day was different. Perhaps it was because I rose too early and was still feeling the ill effects of this decision, or maybe it was the inspiration of the morning’s dialogues. Whatever the reason, there I was waiting for the bus.

When the bus arrived I asked the driver where he was heading and if he wouldn’t mind if I came along. The driver said that for a dollar I may ride as long as I desired, or as long as the bus was in service. So I boarded the bus and took a seat next to a rather large woman. It was not because it was the only available seat; in fact most seats were available. I was feeling a sense of new life and adventure so why not continue the adventure with another new acquaintance. If she cursed and threw me into the aisle my life would grow to new depths. If she opened up in conversation, I would find myself on the edge of a great new adventure. If she simply ignored me, I would still get to where I was going, even if I had yet to determine this destination.

My heart skipped with excitement when she asked if I would mind sitting in a new seat. It was not exactly a perfect conversation starter, but it was successful nonetheless. I kindly consented and asked if she was saving the seat for someone else. Looking rather shocked she said, “no, but there were plenty of other seats open for you to use.”
“But what if those seats belong to someone else? Do you know if anyone rides the bus and has a seat they prefer?”

Again looking shocked she said, “Well, a young lady and her baby sit in those seats right over there. And an elderly man usually sits behind me. He likes to go to the mall to walk and to watch people. Oh… and a very nice looking man gets on in a few stops on his way to work. He drives a delivery truck and is always very friendly.”

On and on she described a bus full of people all of whom join her on the daily ritual of sitting in silence as a stranger drives to different locations throughout town. I was so excited about my new adventure that I paid no attention to where I was going. My new friend and I talked and talked as the bus lumbered through the hills of our quiet town. Our conversation abruptly ended as she informed me that this was her stop so we said “goodbye” and we were on our way.

The fortunes of the day’s events were almost too much to handle. Purely by accident I rose early, discussed new philosophies, met new friends, and just when I couldn’t expect another thing I glanced out the window and realized the bus driver took me straight to my workplace. He politely stopped the bus for me, I thanked him for the ride, and headed off to work. I was so excited of how this day was proceeding that I was no longer bothered that I woke up so early.

My co-workers must have noticed a spring in my step as I greeted them with a smile. When asked why I was so cheery I told them it was because I rode the bus to work. When asked why I rode the bus to work I could only respond, “because if I rode the bus to the beach I might lose my job”. That would be another adventure worth trying. Maybe tomorrow…