From here to there

I was a complete home bird- I stayed indoors most of the time enjoying my own company to the fullest- of course I had the invisible company of all the bloggers whose thoughts I visited and revisited…my mind would be chewing on the thoughts that they penned, I would be traveling on their wave lengths- thoughts from all sides of the globe all the time while being ensconced within the walls of my home. I used to avoid traveling on my own as much as possible.

I first learnt to get around on my own when I enrolled for Dance classes last year. I had to travel by 2 buses to reach my classes. Few months back the journey had to be made in 3 buses- when the roads were under repair, and the third bus was the mini bus and it would ply only when it was jam packed and there was no space to prick a pin even. It would be dark inside the bus and I would be standing on my toes, reaching up to the bar above but there was no fear of falling because there was simply no space. It was impossible to see where we were going because the windows were blocked by people and I would request the person next to me to inform me when I reached my stop and invariably some kind soul would warn me as my stop neared. I would turn in the direction of the exit and kind of nudge myself amidst the thronging undulating bodies and eventually find myself outside the bus on terra firma. After a few moments of deep breaths and unloosening of my frozen limbs, I’d try to judge my precise location and then proceed to my destination.

Now, with my new job, I’ve to travel by the local buses at the drop of a hat. Crowds no longer deter me and though I’ve not begun to swing into moving buses, I do manage to catch one that’s almost ready to start. I can now day dream even while standing precariously clinging to the rod. I enjoy watching the other passengers as unobtrusively as possible. Sometimes the conductors are in a vile mood and sometimes they are quite cordial. The other day, the driver himself was a most gregarious individual and was chatting to anybody who would care to listen. I requested the conductor to let me know when my stop arrived and the driver butted in. He said that I would be easily able to identify my stop because there was construction work going on near by. Soon enough as we neared , the driver asked me if I remembered his instructions and he was pleased to note that I had been listening carefully!

I'm enjoying the oppurtunity to meet new people - both adults and children and am also pleased to notice that age and a few grey hairs can be quite liberating in terms of feeling comfortable and secure. I like watching and observing the events unfolding around me like I were outside the tapestry. Each day is like a new lesson and I feel like an eager student.