That’s what I started thinking less than two weeks into this experiment.  Riding the bus is EXHAUSTING.  I have no idea how people do it on a long-term basis.  And it has nothing to do with how nice the bus drivers are – because they are amazingly nice – it’s all about the amount of time it takes, and the challenges one encounters when relying on public transportation (or even her own feet, but I’ll save that for another blog).

What used to be a twelve minute trip has turned into a forty-five minute commute – and that’s just one way!  So I could sleep for a half hour longer – grade thirty minutes more worth of papers – exercise for that recommended thirty minutes a day (as opposed to the ten minutes of walking and thirty-five sitting on my butt in a bus).  And the timing of the buses…  If I miss one, I have to head the complete opposite direction to grab another – half an hour later.  So two measly minutes could result in my missing important meetings.

Not to mention the fact that unless I want to get to school with less than forty-five minutes to prepare before kids arrive, I don’t see my kids in the morning.  Ellie gets up about fifteen minutes before I leave, but all we have time to do is exchange hollered, “I love you!!”s and “Have a great day!”s. She is now responsible for getting her brother up and to the bus – something I know far too many of my students must also do.  Sure, it’s character and responsibility building — but it’s also exhausting and stressful, and takes away from these kids’ time to do what they need to do for themselves, whether that be last minute studying, basic hygiene, or just getting sufficient sleep.

The whole situation is stressful.  And I’ve only been here discussing the mornings.  Evenings are a whole different story!!

But I do need to give a shout out to the (majority of) bus drivers for RMTD.  I’ve discovered that they are as attentive as personal chauffeurs (and no, that is not hyperbole).  Someone looks like she might be running across the street, trying to catch the bus?  Mark will notice, motion to her, and stop, waiting for her to catch up.  No money? Bernard and Darrell both say they’ll still let someone ride with the expectation that they are paid back on the next trip.  I’m not yet on Rural Street to catch the 6:28 bus?  Bernard will wait a minute for me.

It’s that last fact that complicates my situation.  It sounds wonderful, and I admit that it is a huge relief to know that the one day when I was running late (literally – I ran – which almost gave me a heart attack) (again, not hyperbole) Bernard would have waited for a minute so I didn’t miss my bus.  But at the same time, it’s become another thing for me to worry about.  Even if I want to sleep a half hour longer, I don’t because Bernard still says I make his day, that it’s nice people like me who make all the difference, and he goes out of his way to walk me to the next bus and hug me goodbye when we get to the transfer center.  That day that I ran, I was seriously debating what to do — should I blow him off? (I really didn’t feel like this was an option.) Call RMTD and ask them to radio him so he would know I wouldn’t be on that bus?  Later he told me I could certainly do that — or he would give me his personal cell phone number so I could call him directly.  No – there was no underlying meaning in this offer; he simply wanted to help me out.  And I do not want to let him down or make him worry — and he would worry.

These bus drivers really look out for their passengers.

While on the morning bus, I’ve heard numerous conversations going back and forth over the radio regarding passengers who are looking for a particular bus, not necessarily in the right place, but the driver will swing back around to get them or make sure to be looking at a non-official stop location for someone.  These guys understand the plight of those who are reliant upon them.  They really take their jobs seriously; they are there to serve.

And yet, I’m exhausted.  I dread having to take a bus home at the end of the day.

I guess that’s still the part of me that is spoiled – used to simply jumping in my car and getting where I need to go in record time compared to what it takes via bus (yes, finally hyperbole).  People who regularly rely on the bus get used to it, as one of my students has said (not just in regard to the bus, but to the life-threatening situations she’s repeatedly been in thanks to the bad neighborhood in which her family lives).  But this seems to be a significant injustice – that some people in our society indulge in the great luxury of total transportational freedom while others spend their lives on the bus.  And trust me — when you are forced to ride the bus from Auburn to Washington and then back to the East side, it feels like you spend your entire life on that dang bus — and I’m barely on the East side!

I can’t grade on the bus.  I can hardly read on it!  So my job is suffering.  My kids are suffering – all 145 of them – because I’m suffering.

I know… in the grand scheme of things this is one of those situations where I should just put on my big girl pants and deal with it.  But my point is that it is wrong for anyone to be deprived of the modern conveniences the “haves” in this country take for granted.  And I’m realizing that the difference between the “haves” and the “have nots” lies far beyond the realm of mere materialistic possessions.

If I were to have to live in this situation, I would certainly dwell in my intentional, eternal optimism.  But for the sake of this experiment, I NEED to understand the emotional impact that relying on the bus has on people.  So once again I feel guilty, this time for simply griping.  But if I did not allow myself to acknowledge the downside, I would not understand the significant challenge others face.  Sheesh, even the word “significant” seems tame when you consider the mental/emotional impact of living like this.

And then there’s the physical… But I think I’ll save that for another blog.  I’ve got to jump in the shower before once again racing to the bus!