I've been hearing so much at work and through the media about how we should be living green and reducing our carbon footprint ....
So, today I rode the bus to work. I planned it for a couple weeks, knowing the kids would be out of town for vacation bible school, and it would be easier to get to the bus stop on time (7:14 a.m.).
The Web site for The Jo listed IHOP as the bus stop ... but I wasn't really sure if it was actually at IHOP or somewhere in the vicinity of the Target shopping center ... Naturally, I left extra early to allow time to figure it all out. As I approached IHOP, a woman pulled into a parking space just ahead of me and immediately began to place a sun visor-thingy in her windshield, signaling that she was planning to be gone for a while ... so I nonchalantly pulled in the parking space next to her and casually gathered up my stuff, checked my lipstick, had a few sips of coffee ... which bought me just enough time to see her get out of her car and go stand on the curb. It would have been much easier if they simply posted a sign, right? Oh well, I was totally cool about it.
In the next few minutes, a small crowd gathered, and soon the bus was there -- right on time. I was surprised to find that there weren't quite enough seats for everyone ... so there were a few people standing. The bus driver was a friendly woman who got off the bus momentarily to remove a plastic bucket that had become lodged under the bus as it pulled into the parking lot and reportedly made quite a racket. She mentioned that the community of riders on this particular route had recently tripled -- no doubt due to the skyrocketing gas prices.
I settled in for the ride, and in no time at all, we were downtown. At Crown Center, I got off the bus and waited for the Max, which would take me down Main Street and let me off right at the front door of my building. It was a snap -- and it cost me a mere three bucks for the trip. :)
I had a little bit of anxiety about catching the bus at the end of the day. After all, there's only one bus from Crown Center to Shawnee. If I missed my connection, I'd be stranded. So I left work at 4:45, caught the Max to Crown Center and had about 15 minutes to spare before The Jo arrived. Next time, I could leave 5 or 10 minutes later and still make it.
Bottom line: I left the house 30 minutes earlier, got home 30 minutes later ... and spent 30 minutes (total) additional time on the road ... but, I also relaxed all the way there and home ... and I saved gas money, as well as wear and tear on my car. And it was good for the environment, too! Guess what, Mom. I'm a "city girl!"
So, today I rode the bus to work. I planned it for a couple weeks, knowing the kids would be out of town for vacation bible school, and it would be easier to get to the bus stop on time (7:14 a.m.).
The Web site for The Jo listed IHOP as the bus stop ... but I wasn't really sure if it was actually at IHOP or somewhere in the vicinity of the Target shopping center ... Naturally, I left extra early to allow time to figure it all out. As I approached IHOP, a woman pulled into a parking space just ahead of me and immediately began to place a sun visor-thingy in her windshield, signaling that she was planning to be gone for a while ... so I nonchalantly pulled in the parking space next to her and casually gathered up my stuff, checked my lipstick, had a few sips of coffee ... which bought me just enough time to see her get out of her car and go stand on the curb. It would have been much easier if they simply posted a sign, right? Oh well, I was totally cool about it.
In the next few minutes, a small crowd gathered, and soon the bus was there -- right on time. I was surprised to find that there weren't quite enough seats for everyone ... so there were a few people standing. The bus driver was a friendly woman who got off the bus momentarily to remove a plastic bucket that had become lodged under the bus as it pulled into the parking lot and reportedly made quite a racket. She mentioned that the community of riders on this particular route had recently tripled -- no doubt due to the skyrocketing gas prices.
I settled in for the ride, and in no time at all, we were downtown. At Crown Center, I got off the bus and waited for the Max, which would take me down Main Street and let me off right at the front door of my building. It was a snap -- and it cost me a mere three bucks for the trip. :)
I had a little bit of anxiety about catching the bus at the end of the day. After all, there's only one bus from Crown Center to Shawnee. If I missed my connection, I'd be stranded. So I left work at 4:45, caught the Max to Crown Center and had about 15 minutes to spare before The Jo arrived. Next time, I could leave 5 or 10 minutes later and still make it.
Bottom line: I left the house 30 minutes earlier, got home 30 minutes later ... and spent 30 minutes (total) additional time on the road ... but, I also relaxed all the way there and home ... and I saved gas money, as well as wear and tear on my car. And it was good for the environment, too! Guess what, Mom. I'm a "city girl!"
2 comments:
Nice!
Melody took the bus to work this week, and thought it was great. She was able to work during the ride to and from work, so it was very useful for her!
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