Love In A Seat

I didn't go to work yesterday, so today was my official first day of going to work from my new apartment. There's a Trip Planner on MTA.info one can use to plan the fastest route and method from one point to another on public transit.

Pretty freakin' sweet.

So I calculated that I needed to leave home around 730a at the latest, meaning I'd need to get up at least 630a. I went to sleep after midnight last night, so I woke up fairly tired. Naw, bump that--I was crying for sleep. But I pushed myself out of bed and dragged myself through the daily routine of getting ready for work, and it almost hurt. But, no violins for me (since EVERYONE needs to do it daily), cause I still am working at a company that I love, with people that I like, doing work that I love. No complaints. But I digress.

It's been cold and getting colder by the day, so there was ice all over the road, which made the walk to the express bus stop a little treacherous and slower then I expected. When I got to the stop, the bus was a minute from pulling away, so I got there just in time to join the line and board the bus. Upon alighting, I didn't realize how busy and full the bus would be. I was the last to board, so I took the first seat I saw, which was on the bench in the front. I squeezed my slacks and eskimo jacket in the spot and put my ear buds in. Carrie Underwood met me on the other end and I concentrated on getting warm.

As we were about to pull out, the bus jerked to a halt and the front doors folded open. In hopped an older lady and a young kid. The older lady took a while to pull her card out of her wallet. The bus driver told her that she'd need to get a receipt from a machine outside of the bus before boarding as its a new system of toll collection, so she got off and the kid boarded. He looked about 15 and in highschool. He took the last seat on the bus across from me. The bus driver kindly waited for the woman. I sat up in my seat and tried to look over heads across from me and outside the window to see where she was at in getting her fair paid. I could tell she was having a bit of difficulty in negotiating the machine. It took a minute or so and I saw her turn and walk towards the front door again. She slowly got on the bus, and upon reaching the top step, she realized after a quick scanning of the bus from her position that there were no seats. I noticed how the heads of many around me quickly looked towards the floor. Shady.

As I realized that my inaugural trip would include me holding a pole on my feet, I noticed that the high school kid across from me just as quickly jumped up from his seat and ushered the woman into his seat. She waved him off, almost embarrassed that he offered his seat to her. Perhaps she was more proud then she looked and still felt her age was nothing to pity. Astonishingly enough, the young man said politely, 'I insist." and smiled and waited for her to plant herself on the bench. She smiled sheepishly. She almost looked like a little girl. The only telling sign that she wasn't was the faint smell of liniment and lavendar. ("Smells just like my Aunty's," I thought.) It made me smile and reminisce.

I watched as she sat, and the high schooler turned his ipod up a little, smiled back, then turned towards the front of the bus as the bus driver closed the door and slowly commanded the bus to lurch forward into traffic. From a faint sheepish smile that the woman had washed across her face, it slowly faded to a stern, emotionless expression that is ever so common and familiar in this city. It seemed the coldness of the air outside took hold again and the loving exchange that was brief but seemed to last hours in that bus, faded as quickly as the leaves had also faded a few months ago due to the brisk wind and weather. The high schooler closed his eyes as he bopped his head to the tune in his ears, and the warm exchange was gone.

That succint scene made me smile the entire way to work. It warmed me from the inside out. I literally began to sweat. I thought of how amazing we each have a way of reaching out to others in very minimal, tiny ways. And yet how profound small acts are able to display the capacity of humanity to not only surprise, but delight. It's an amazing thing. There are so many opportunities within this city, this cold, lonely city, to live in a silo. So many chances to isolate yourself. To habitually ignore our inate human instinct to connect with others. So when someone who lives alone, commutes alone, spends more time alone sees the kindness of strangers, the beauty of respect, the acknowledgement of a good deed, it becomes so much grander then normal. It becomes noteworthy. And the identification of Love in action becomes much more obvious.

I get blessed everytime I see Love displayed. It's a fantastic blessing to be witness to Love's revelation. To see Love make an appearance on a cold day is warming. But to also see Love revealed amongst a crowded bus of other lonely people, from one generation to another--that's a miracle. That fills me with hope that Love still exists amongst the next generation~a generation that, frankly, doesn't seem to be the best example of honor and values. I stand corrected. If I'm to believe in Love and believe that Love exists, then I MUST also believe that coupled with that belief, is that it requires Faith on my part to Hope in that Love. It is true that these three things, Faith, Hope and Love each are distinct, but work together. That revelation is a gift to me today. I hope I will always be open and faithful in believing that Love is still working, still alive and still pesent with us today. And I hope to always have the ability to recognize the presence of Love, and to realize Love's power. Be it in a simple smile, a polite greeting or even perhaps in the offer of a seat.