I had the pleasure today of taking my car to Don's Auto Service in Boise today. The reason I say "pleasure" is because I came into the shop with an oil leak and a squeaky belt and left with a quite, non-seeping vehicle, all to the tune of ZERO dollars. That's right...they didn't charge me a penny nor did they try to tell me my car needed any fluid flush or rotation or alignment. I am so happy to find a (so far) honest garage in this town and even happier to reward them in the future with my business.

But the real story of the day was my trek back and forth from the service center. You see, everyone I know in Idaho is working during the day and are not in jobs that allow them to take off an hour here and there to go help a friend. I thought, for a small time, about how I missed my dad not picking me up, like he normally did in Arizona, but then realized that I would not get to experience something that so many do every day -- riding the bus.

The buses on State Street run every half hour which meant that I had some waiting to do before my ride would pick me up. I brought a Sodoku book along with me (thanks Kay!) to help make the best of the time. While I was working on my puzzle I would constantly get distracted by the sweeping wind as cars, pickup trucks, semi's, and school buses whizzed by. The smell of gas and diesel were thick and choking. Short breaks of clean air were harold with silent praises in my brain. There was an abandoned gray sweatshirt next to me on the bench. Two women and a child walked passed and greeted me as a regular to the stop. They waited for the walk sign on the corner and hussled across to the bench on the opposite side of the street.

There is such anticipation waiting for the bus. When I drive by the stops, I always notice the one person looking at their watch, thinking the bus should go according to their pace of life. When the bus pulled up, I felt like a kid who had never ridden one these things before. I panned my eyes quickly through the bus to see who my new peers would be. As I fumbled for my change, I asked the question, "do these go here?" "Yep," said the driver as if he had said that a million times before. And before my last quarter was in the slot, I felt the jolt of the engine and shuffled backward to find my seat. There were only four other people (including the driver) on this whale of a machine. An older gentleman, an empty-nester, and a girl in her early twenties.

The man and woman across from me were discussing the economy and the girl had her iPod on, paying no attention to her surroundings. As the bus roared down the street, we gained one. It seems everyone was riding the bus to the same destination -- Wal-Mart. It just so happened to be the end of the line and my stop too. I interrupted the couple and asked if the bus went any farther and they replied that I would have to walk the rest of the way. The younger girl took her iBud out of her left ear and told me that she had to walk too. As we all exodused the bus at Saxton Avenue, the older man grabbed my right elbow and told me to get a day pass to save money in the long run. I thanked him and began my two mile stroll back to the house. I realized the girl was walking in the same direction and asked her how far she had to go. She said the name of her street and then followed it up by saying, "that's what I get for getting a DUI! And boy, have I learned my lesson!" I wished her well on her way as I passed her with my lengthy strides.

I made it back to the house, covered in dust from the side of the road, let Elli out, and did some work. When I found out my car was done, I set out again. By this time, I figured out that I could walk and do my Sodoku puzzles at the same time. On occasion I would glance back up to make sure I wasn't drifting into traffic (no sidewalks on State St.). I made it to the stop across from Wal-Mart and waited with a very nice Iraqi couple and their son. While sitting on a small wall near the sign, I noticed the sharp smell of booze coming up from the ground. The area was littered with all kinds of things: cheetos, cigarette butts, chicken bones, aluminum foil, and lotto scratchers to name a few. During my wait, I snapped the picture above of the overturned shopping cart that wasn't there when I got off the bus the first time.

I waited for about 15 minutes. The bus came rolling around the corner and was much fuller this time around. I sat down and just listened to the conversations. On one of the pick ups, the driver started talking with a women who just got on about her kids and the college classes she is taking to become a "surgery tech". I got a kick out of the bus driver pulling over at a scheduled stop to get out and stretch for a while. I wasn't going to ask questions. Anyway, as the trip went along, we kept adding more and more passengers. Each person had their very own brand of cigarette smell as they walked past my seat. I tried to guess at them in my head, but I have a very low number of cigarette companies and their products in my vocabulary. I must admit that none of them smelled good. So be it.

About four stops before mine, the bus driver started singing the Mass Transit Union's song which goes to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". She then looked in the mirror and asked if anyone would be offended if she told the history of the unions in Idaho. No one objected and she began talking about Nick So-and-So from Sweden. I pulled the cord to signal a stop at the Veterans' Memorial Parkway intersection and when the light turned green, she steamed ahead and darted into the small harbor curve to let me off. As I walked off the bus, I thanked her and told her that I would have to catch part two the next time.

Something I purposed in my heart, a long time ago, was to make the best of any situation and to be a good observer knowing that all humans have worth and a genuine story to tell. I honestly love taking silly little adventures like this and using it as a way for me to grow in character and to be a person of love and kindness to those around.

Seriously, you need to change your routine sometimes. And if your life is adjusted by something outside your control, see it for what it is...and opportunity. Cheers!

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