more random acts of buskindness

in the continued saga of riding the CTA...

1) a girl was running and running and just missed the bus. and just when we were looking out the window and empathizing [note to self: try some more to get the kids to understand solidarity], the bus driver stopped after the intersection so she could get on. NICE.*

2) another girl was trying to get out the back door of a crowded bus when the driver yelled that she had to come to the front because the door was blocked on the outside. she loudly yelled, "oh, crap. i'm not going to be able to get up there unless someone can help me with these bags..." and you know how it's awkward when someone talks on the bus? and how it's awkward when someone's being passive-agressive? yeah, like that. but my bus friend [who was by the window, and i was on the aisle] goes, "hey, you want to -" and i got up and offered to help. i ended up getting in her way, of course, because that's just how i roll. and she ended up being fine, but she walked off the bus going, "can you believe, a whole bus full of people and a GIRL gets up to help me! a girl, out of the whole bus, is the one who offers to help..." and i was like, dude. your comments are not helping with gender relations.

so, add this to the buskindness files: it's easier to do the thing that everyone knows should be done [but no one does] when someone encourages you to do it. or, i think, even when you see someone else do it. it's like i used to tell the children about being witnesses...

my roommates told me i should write a book about riding the CTA. it'll be kind of like that time we were going to write the book about AIM, except now that would be a history book. ["kids, before texting was invented..."]

sigh. i miss AIM.

:)




*one time, a bus driver waited for me, and i ran onto the bus and into a conversation the driver and the one other passenger were having about whether bus drivers should wait for running people. the one other passenger was not happy with me. awkward.