Riding The Bus

It has been mostly a blessing riding the bus as our main form of transportation. We have made special friends and met a lot of interesting people along the way. One of my best friends is one that I met on the bus. When I was going to Coronado every Sunday morning to Sunday school and church I met Ellen as she was heading to Westview Bible Church in Imperial Beach. We were on the bus a short time together each week and got to know each other over a period of time. She invited us to her church and since we had another friend there we eventually visited Westview.

We continued to go to Coronado, but occasionally visited Westview. Laura started going to Westview much more often than Paul and I did. Then for a period of time Paul was going to Midway Baptist Church which is now known as Oceanview Church. He liked the idea that it is close to home so it is a short bus ride. Laura was going to Westview then and I was still going to Coronado. The bus driver was interested in our unusual arrangement at the time. She would have been in Church if she had not been driving the bus.

When the bus schedule changed and was not running often enough on the Strand to Coronado we started going Westview most weeks. This has been a blessing for our family. I am thankful that we met Ellen on the bus. Ellen and her husband Dave are dear people. We have enjoyed getting to know them and the other dear brothers and sisters in Christ at Westview Bible Church. We still have a sweet connection to Coronado and our many friends there, but we are being blessed each week at Westview.

There are a lot of interesting people on the bus and I have enjoyed talking to some of them. Bella is an older lady that I used to see quite often on the bus. She was beginning to forget things a lot and I was really concerned about her. She had a lot of history in our area and I heard some of her stories more than once. She lived with her sons near the trolley station and they must have begun to be concerned about her too. We had not seen her in quite a while when Laura and I came upon her as we were walking near her home in the valley. She said her sons did not want her to leave the yard anymore. At least I know she is safe.

We see many handicapped people on the bus. They don't let their disabilities keep them from being out and about many times during the week. There are a lot of senior citizens on their errands as well as young people going to school or their jobs each day. The bus and trolley are very much needed by many people. I appreciate being in an area where public transportation is available. I appreciate the nice bus drivers too. I have met some very nice drivers. There are a few that are not as nice, but they are the minority. Drivers have an important job and also need to care about people. You can tell which ones are not people oriented, it is just a job for them.

Then there are the people that get on the bus and are having a bad day. They want to make sure that everyone else has a bad day too. The other day one guy was loudly cussing at his lady friend. I could tell that he was a bully and did not have anything nice to say to her. I would have loved to say something but would have probably made the situation worse. I don't like to see someone being treated so badly. I would hope that she has someone to intervene for her or that she is able to distance herself from this bully.

Riding the bus is not boring. But you have to give yourself enough time to get to your destination. We like to leave home early and arrive at appointments early. Proper planning is important.

Photo credits: Seattle Municipal Archives;  DearEdward; paulkimo90