The Bus Driver

Thirty Seconds That Changed My Morning

I started a new job at the end of last year, which included spending two weeks in Southern California for training. With as cold as it has been in Indiana, two weeks in SoCal seems sublime. But I was there at the beginning of November, meaning I missed two weeks of Indiana fall. That’s not what this post is about. I just wanted you to know how great autumn is in Indiana and how sad I was to miss two weeks of it.

This story begins the morning I left for that training.

It’s about a bus driver at the Indianapolis airport.

You know how chaotic early morning flights can be. It seems everyone is on the first flights of the day. People frantically look for open parking spaces. They walk briskly with checked luggage, carry-on luggage, and their one personal attaché. Then they hobble onto the shuttle in a mad attempt to secure all of their belongings while counting the minutes and seconds between stops before the terminal.

That was me—flying to California for two weeks of training.

I usually pack everything in a carry-on because I don’t like the hassle of checking luggage. Yes, I packed two weeks of clothes in a carry-on! But I am always thinking about the TSA checkpoint and how long it could take to get through. It’s this part of traveling that I really don’t like. Everything has to go right, and I don’t like anything unexpected happening in the process.

But there was this one bus driver.

At each numbered pickup station, he would put the bus in park, stand, walk down the aisle, and welcome each person as they boarded.

The first couple of times he did it, my mental monster went into a murmuring rampage.

What is going on?

What is he doing?

We are in a hurry!

But at each stop, I kept watching him. His smile seemed to grow brighter every time the next person boarded.

The mental monster quickly quieted.

What a delightful man.

He greets each passenger as if he drove there specifically for them.

And how much extra time is this really taking?

I continued to watch him over the next half-dozen stops and told myself that the extra thirty seconds were worth the lessons.

Find joy in the work that you do, no matter your occupation.

Don’t just do your job well—honor those around you while doing it.

Stand out above other workers by taking what you do to the next level.

But also.

Calm down and see the goodness in others.

Don’t get so lost in your fast-paced routine that you lose the joy in life.

Let others inspire you to be better yourself.

Question

What does my mental monster sound like– and how often do I let it lead?

Peace,

Brandon

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