Saturday, April 17, 2010

Ask for Directions and Get Going

So today on the bus...

visual: Purple plaid lululemon jacket atop a grey pair of crops sit on the bus today. My Nike Dunks with the mismatched shoe laces tap vigorously as the bus fills way up. My purple aviators look around taking it all in today.


I sit on the bus today pondering life and its transitions. I am moving to Chicago in a week and somehow feel a pang of sadness for the LA Public Transit system. I stare at all the people rushing and packing on and wonder what I will learn today.

Some times the crowded days just teach me patience or how to zone out in the mess. But today, a beautiful thing happened, of course.

A younger gentleman was sitting across from me - nice button down, jeans, cool aviator glasses and some diamond earrings. Next to him sat an older woman looking nervous back and forth at street signs and in her purse back to the new stop request... After all the silent panicking, she finally gets up and goes to speak with the bus driver, asking for directions and travel information.

She comes back with a sense of relief and smiling. She sits down and leans over to her neighbor, nudges his shoulder - the cute guy, and informs him, "you know, some times you just have to ask to get where you are going".

He smiles and nods his head and they continue on.

I smile from behind my aviator glasses, too. She is so right!

We cannot get where we are going if we do not speak up, ask directions, and get to where we need to go! This goes for public transporation, but if you dig a little deeper - it is about life.

I secretly place this small but profound piece of advice in my transitional state of mind's backpocket. I have a funny feeling I am going to need this one.

Borrow it, if you like and get where you need to go.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Keep It Royal

So today on the bus...

visual: Rocking my organic fibers care of lululemon athletica today, charcoal heathered grey pants with a purple long sleeve that somehow went well with my deep purple backpack and purple yoga mat. I know, its a lot of purple - but you'll see. My new and insane grey sweatpant material Nike Dunks high tops with yellow shoes laces step up to the 720.

I jump on the over-crowded bus today, thank my bus driver and stand right up front. I cannot even maneuver to a spacious double door spot, it was that 5pm end-of-day hour.

While staring down Wilshire Boulevard and willing people to get off at the next stop, a mid to older aged woman looks up from her book at me and says, "I love the purple you are wearing". I smile and thank her, noticing she is literally rocking ALL purple. Purple shirt, metallic purple windbreaker to purple socks! I, of course, comment that she looks great in her purple, as well.

We dive in deep. Talking about...purple.

Me: "You know, I hear when you wear a purple or lavender color, you should feel relaxed and so should all those around you. Do you?"

Purple Lady: "I do feel quite calm. I really do. But you know hon, purple is really the color of royalty".

Me (smiling): "You know, I was feeling royal today and almost do every day. So glad you reminded me".

Purple Lady: "Well, you keep feelin' that girl. Me too, me too".

We both laugh a little bit and she looks down to continue to read her book.

I smile while standing beside her. We must have looked like quite a vision all clad in every shade of purple - from deep to metallic. And after our conversation, I do feel that she sat a little higher on her bus seat...err, throne.

As we approach my stop, I lean down and say bye to my purple loving friend.

Purple Lady: "Oh bye dear. Keep it real".

Me: "How about we keep it royal?"

And with that we both laugh, high five and I jump off that bus strutting my royal stuff!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Going GREEN!

Look what I bought today....



My new bright green, gas guzzling machine.

My new way to go GREEN!

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APRIL FOOL's!

I am still snobbing on the 720!

Saturday, March 20, 2010

A Quarter w/ Meaning

So today on the bus...

visual: Living lightly and brightly, I rock my hot pink leg warmers today and a luluelmon athletica work out one piece. Yes, you read that right, a one piece. My new purple and white aviator-esque sunglasses peer down Wilshire to find my bus approaching right when I arrive.

I love when the bus arrives just as I step up to the bus stop. Its a simple matter in life, but for me that is something I get a huge kick out of.

On the phone today with my boyfriend in Chicago, I put him on hold and step in line. A wonderful older gentleman is standing aside letting all passengers go before him. He is wearing green corduroys and a white shirt with a beige waterproof jacket. It is probably closet to 75 degrees and sunny, mid afternoon and he is ready for a mild snow storm. Alas, I nod at him, step on the bus and greet my bus driver. I grab quarters out of my backpack and begin to drop them in. On accident, I drop six quarters instead of five.



I smirk and look up to my bus driver. I said, "that last quarter is for him" and I point to the winter wonderland behind me.


I rush to the back and tell the boyfriend I have bus adventures to find and get to my spot by the double door.


As I peer up, I see the corduroy-clad man stumbling in an old man demeanor back to the back towards me. He comes right up in front of me and looks at me straight in the eyes and asks, "But why? Why did you pay a quarter for me?".



I smile, tap his shoulder and say, "Oh, that. You were so sweet to let everyone on the bus go before you, just a little love back".



At first I thought he was mad at me or something. He looks down and shakes his white haired-head. He looks up with tears on his wrinkled eyes and says, "Thank you is not enough. It would never be enough".



I chuckle almost. So dramatic. I lean in, "Oh, well I think thank you is always just enough." And I tap him on the shoulder and he smiles and thanks me again and again.



He maneuvers himself up to the front rows and I stand smiling.



A quarter, 25 cents and he is thanking me twice over. You really never know what something will mean to someone. Maybe he just needed someone to care, and that was who I got to be for him in that moment. Or maybe, he only had one dollar and this was all in the timing.



Or maybe, it was just perfect.



An extra quarter fell from my hand. And I made the day of that old man.



Felt quite right. Felt quite right.