Taking the bus

I very often take the bus to Kroger to buy my weekly groceries. It is kind of a pain. Sometimes I have to wait half an hour for the bus to come to the stop, and then sometimes I have to wait another half or more for it to return to Kroger after I’ve finished shopping. If it’s raining, I wait in the rain. If it’s twenty degrees and sleeting, I wait in the sleet. I have to carry all of my groceries, vastly decreasing the amount of food I can buy, and sometimes the type. (I haven’t yet wanted to carry a dozen eggs home in my book bag.) With all the waiting, and the time it takes the bus to drive past all the other stops, I’m lucky if I get home in an hour and a half. Even so, I’ve found that the benefits of taking the bus to Kroger far outweigh the disadvantages.

It makes me slow down. It is a good reminder that time does not belong to me. It shuts down my impatience. I’ll get there when I get there.

I really enjoy looking out the bus windows. I don’t have to think about the road at all. It’s so nice to just look out the window at the life outside. Today raindrops raced in pretty patterns down the window and the trees were bright colors outside cute houses. It was lovely to just sit back in my seat and watch the world go by.

All the waiting is great thinking time. I empty my bag to fit the groceries in, so unless I call my mom while I wait, I just think. And that’s a nice break.

Today there was a couple on the bus from somewhere else. I’m not sure where, but the man asked at the bus stop how to get to Kroger and then his wife? joined him at the stop. They were very interested in looking out the windows and when we got off at Kroger they got a cart from outside the store, making me wonder if they hadn’t been there before. I like to think about how groceries work in other parts of the world. I like seeing how different people carry their groceries, and what they buy. People are beautiful, and when I’ve slowed down I can see them more clearly. We’re so similar, me and the old man looking at the brownie mixes. I always come home leave the store with a greater appreciation of the opportunity I have to love people. Everyone in that store has a story. It’s nice to meander the store alone, especially in the morning because the college students aren’t there yet. ;) It’s nice to just see people, really see them as souls with stories.

It is kind of nice practice for living somewhere else: taking the bus, carrying all my groceries, waiting.

Today it is raining. I’ve been there when it’s snowing and sleeting and winding too. I think one of the reasons why I like the less liked weather so much is that it clearly shows the fragility of humans. It creates a sort of community. One guy, coming out of the store, screamed several times, “I’m melting!” And the people around him smiled, and then smiled at each other. I like the reminder that humanity is fragile.