Bus Story: Take a Ride Outside the Comfort Zone

Up and out the door early. Spring showed her face a bit this past Sunday, but Winter’s breath lingers and it’s a gray and chilly morning. At my usual stop, I see a coach approaching and I blink and rub my eyes to be sure I’m reading the number clearly. The 22. Like the elusive tree kangaroo or the giant panda, the 22 is rarely seen these days. Once plentiful, their numbers have dwindled due to budget cuts, construction, and route changes.  It has the potential of taking me downtown to a stop closer to my office – a 5 minute walk rather than the 15 minutes from my usual arrival point.  Climbing aboard, I feel a little like an interloper; half expecting riders to point at me and cry, “Outsider…unclean!”   Thankfully there are no torches and pitchforks, just other early morning commuters, paying no mind to the gawking man who steps aboard as if he’s arrived at Brigadoon. I find a seat and settle in for the ride. It is uneventful.  No wild bacchanalian feasting.  No tearing off of flesh faces to reveal malevolent metal robots underneath. No cartoon-like singing or large dancing purple dinosaurs. I arrive at my stop, climb down, and walk the short ways to the office, arriving about 20 minutes earlier than usual. It was neat to take a alternate route, and it wasn’t scary or really all that different. It was certainly a little more efficient although my 15 minute walk is good exercise.  If Spring really does get her groove on and shows Winter the door, the hike makes for a nice morning.  This morning is a nice lesson in trying something different when you are presented with the option; step into what seems elusive and it may be a pleasant ride.