Buses

For the past several weeks, I've been traveling with buses as my main source of transportation. Quite a few more things to reflect about kind of attack the traveler's mind then usual. Though that in it's entirety is another blog post. Going to work and coming back home from work, taking the bus to enable such a miracle seems beyond the work of God, technology and good samaritan. I know it seems like a bit of an exaggeration, but that's how the U.S. developed over the years. Cities are far away from one another, and there is such a thing as downtown, suburbs, urban areas and such. Back where my parents live, the closest grocery store where they could purchase any kind of sustaining produce is 10 minutes away by car. As such, being able to go from point A to point B regardless of it's distance without owning a car and having to bow down and ask to someone else is a gift to me at this point. Of course there are inconvenient thing about the bus. You can't go on your own time, pace and route. You have to ride with a bunch of strangers that you know nothing about. You don't have the option to be late to your bus stop, while the bus sometimes may be 15, 30 minutes late. Usually not without reason, though buses and be and are often late, especially during the winter months. The upside is that I don't ever have to directly pay for gas, I don't have to go through the joy of up keeping a car, pay its loans and insurance. Also, I get to interact with the world, feeling being apart of the society at some point. Human interaction is such a make it or break it thing, continuously, ever changing from one phase to another. Additionally, it gives me a great chance to hear real conversations and meet interesting people that I  might not other wise have the chance to do so.  Mingling in, being out and about, participating in the world in the many various transactions is calming, unifying and beautiful to me. I have increased the number of my character sketches ever since regularly taking the bus. Habits, physical appearances, behaviors, scenes, dialogue has piled up. It gives me a great access to characters while writing and in great need to get the story moved out. Also it just gives me some quiet time to think, ponder and be inspired.

Then also again, there are people I would have preferred not to have crossed my paths ever. Things I would have rather not seen. Though that's how packages come in. Although it might be uniquely creative, individualistic and holistic, however, there will be something rotten, something that needs fixing. Nothing just comes in perfectly packaged with its bowtie on top, waiting to be opened, and when opened with no consequences ever to be found or lived through.

So here's a glass of wine to buses!