I stood outside my work, with a piece of paper in hand that gave me 5 different options of getting home on the bus. Yes, you read right, I am riding the bus to and from work. Those of you who truly KNOW me understand what a big deal and how much stress this can cause me, and those of you don’t fully know me (yet, I hope) will probably brush it off. You see, I was born and raised in Colorado. My family lived in a small town and when I went to college I chose another small town. Riding mass transit never was an option, nor did I really want to. It is not that I am above mass transit busses, it is just that I never had the option, and besides it can be so confusing so why think about it. Well, I now live in Seattle. Matt and I have one car (thanks Dad!) between us, and the new job does not offer parking, but they will pay for a bus pass. By the way, if I did drive and parked it would cost me $6 a day which quickly adds up. Therefore, the best option quickly became riding the bus.
So, there I stood on that busy street, nervously waiting for bus route #8 to come get me. I spent the previous night finding all the different routes and times that could get me home so that if I left work late, I wouldn’t worry. I had them printed on a sheet of paper I kept very securely in my pocket. But, you know what, I was worried. I saw my bus, got my bus money out and boarded. I sat right up front, because I needed to follow the map and see that Bus Route #8 truly was going the same direction the map said it would be. Of course the bus was on track and I was at my first stop. The location for my job required a bus transfer to get home, thus making my life even more complicated and gave me more to worry about. I got out crossed the street to go the next stop, and waited again for Bus Route #28. I stood at this stop holding tight to the piece of paper I had printed, as if this paper would save me and make riding the bus okay. I stood there and looked around me. Cars, trucks, busses, and crazy people who ride their bikes on the road zoomed passed me. I had a fabulous view of the Space Needle and a green, grassy park full of people behind me. I could not believe this was my life and how overwhelming and huge city life can be at times. I held back the tears and wondered if I was strong enough to pull it together. The bus came, still nervous I sat in the front seat again. I was starting to think that I couldn’t do city life, where was the quiet peacefulness that was Colorado. At that moment the bus crossed a huge bridge over a big water way. The sun was just setting and I looked to my left – the beautiful Olympic Mountain Range, to my right – the Cascade Mountains, underneath me – many sailboats, prop planes, kayaks, and then I looked behind me – Mount Rainer was visible in its full glory. I then realized it would be okay, Seattle is beautiful, and I was indeed going to make it home on the bus.
