TOGETHER

Walk onto the bus.  Ride up the ramp onto the bus.  We're on the bus.  Together.

Odor and aroma. Together.  Loud and quiet.  Together.  Hungry and fed.  Sad and happy.  Healthy and hurting.

You are probably getting the idea of one space and many bodies.  We went riding down the road all carrying our thoughts, opinions, pain, hope, and dreams with us.  All of us entered the bus as individuals trying to get to our own personal destination but we went together.

Some of us managed to allude any feelings of togetherness.   Eyes down.  Looked out the window.  Seated against the wall as far as possible.  It didn't change anything.  We were all together.

We all stood the risk of exposure to the same illness or accident.  We all had the opportunity to learn a valuable lesson from someone on the bus who may have been survived the crisis we were in now.  Each of us could look up and smile at someone hurting or be smiled at by someone who had hope when we had none.

No great incident may occur to unite us.  But, if circumstances threw us together, anything that happens  will only happen to us, together.  And, no one outside of this group could understand completely if we were to share our together story.

If I'm in sharing space with you, my hope is that we wring every together moment from that space.  That time and space may never come again.

I want to never miss a together, again.

It will get here.....

There are schedules.  There are apps.  Neither of which is completely accurate.  The Bus can be early.  Or, it may be late.  I have no control over it.  The best advise from The Bus is to be about 10 minutes earlier than the schedule.  

Time and traffic are constant struggles in the big city with commuting.  There is no controlling either when riding The Bus.  It will arrive when it arrives.  It took me quite a while to just show up and not fret.  

One morning, sitting at The Bus stop, I realized how often I was looking at my watch, counting the minutes left for me to get to work.  Worrying about how many minutes would be left to ride the bus.  Then, worrying about how many minutes it would take to get across the street and into the office.  Then, worrying because the bus was late and swallowing up my minutes. 

With a nervous but knowing laugh, I concluded that I was in Hawaii to heal and not waste time on worry.   A major portion of the workers ride The Bus and it was understood that The Bus wasn't always predictable.  Simply do my part by getting to the bus stop at a reasonable time.  Afterwards, for the most part, I learned to relax once I'd gotten to The Bus stop.  

Worrying about that which I could not control may actually be a fine example of arrogance.  How dare I think that if I worried enough that The Bus would get itself to my stop immediately?  Why should the thing which I want by the time I want it  be delivered by the person that I want to deliver it at the place that I want it?

There are many variables which influence when the bus arrives.  How many people were waiting at prior stops?  Were there any handicapped people which had to be aided in boarding?  Had there been a traffic jam?  Was there an emergency had by someone on the bus?  Did the weather slow down its arrival?

I need to show up on time.  Be responsible with my actions.  Then, let the rest unfold.  Save my energy for things that I can control.  God knows where the bus is.  He knows when it will get here.  And, he'll get me where I need to be in His time.

Ramping Up to Life Lessons on The Bus

Life Lessons on The Bus

Yep, I rode the bus for 13 months all over Hawaii.  I left behind the car which I owned in order to explore a whole new place.  It was tough at first.  Really, really tough.  We are so conditioned that an automobile indicates success.  

But, I grew accustomed to it.  Believe it or not, I didn't get behind the wheel of a car for about 11 months....Now, that is something to experience.  No key to any kind of motorized, get-me-there-when-I want-to-get-there kind of vehicle.  

Now, if you know me, you know that I'm gong to reflect on whatever I've experienced.  Twist, turn, and tangle it until I've wrung everything from it.  Thus, I've created a list of life lessons.

No seat belts on The Bus so hang on, sit down, brace your legs, or wrap your arm around something  because I'm going to share my lessons with you.  

Lesson One will come soon.