Monday, March 29, 2010

Running for the Gold

I have some fun pictures to post but this dang blogger website is driving me nuts!! ARRRRRrrrggghhhh! I cannot post pictures properly tonight so it will have to wait until I can muster up the patience to figure it out.

Speaking of lacking patience, everyday when I leave work I have to walk 10 minutes down a straight highway to the bus stop. The bus runs every 10 minutes so chances are I can see the bus coming or I can see it leaving. Although disappointed when I can see I missed it, it is also a relief that I don't have to make a split second decision of whether or not to sprint for it. Even though it runs so often and I never have to wait that long for the next one, I hate the feeling of walking down the street and having the bus fly by me. As of lately, if I can see it coming in the distance I cannot help but take off running as fast as I can. I can't help it. It might be a pride thing, or an anxiety thing, or an OCD thing, but I think it's also just entertaining to test yourself. I have been getting better and better at catching the bus closer and closer.

Today I was in a particular mood. Trevor left this morning. Work was empty (everyone is taking off early for easter vacation). The facilities staff brought in a big basket of chocolate for everyone. I was close to the last person at work. Went to the break room to rinse out my coffee mug. Notice the basket of easter candy. No one is around. Hmmm. I feel slightly guilty but I tell myself the sign on the basket says "Happy Easter, help yourself." It probably does say something like that, but I still feel like I am stealing. I snag the biggest chocolate egg I can find and head for the door. On my way out I'm thinking to myself: today I am going to take it easy. I am not going to look for that bus or care where it is. I am going to quiet my inner indecisive demons by pre-determining that I will not run for the bus today no matter where it is. I am in no rush to get home or get anywhere. I am going to slow my pace and savor this delicious chocolate egg bite by bite. I walk out the back gate and unwrap the egg as I stroll through the wooded area that is now starting to sprout little yellow wild flowers. How pretty. I take a bite out of the egg and I can see the highway now. I look to the left and DANGIT the bus is right at the light!!! I've never made the bus when it was this close before. Oh well. Good thing I'm not moving fast today .........hmmmmmmmm.....should I? ummm....no....hmmmm.jfnvjknfosib... Screw it. I shove the entire chocolate egg in my mouth at once and take off sprinting faster than my legs have moved in forever! The bus flies by me but luckily it is stopping anyway to let people off. I am a block away and my legs are burning. The traffic is heavy... The bus driver can't pull out right away. I make it to the door, huffing and puffing. I feel like vomiting. The bus driver is hysterical and wild with enthusiasm, blabbing on and on in Danish. He's flexing his muscles, mimicking running arm movements; poking fun I suppose. I don't have the energy or the ambition to let on I don't understand him at all. I don't really care. I smile at him, give an awkward giggle, and find a seat. Although disappointed that I ruined a perfectly sweet chocolate experience and annoyed at myself for not being able to make a decision and stick with it, I feel a lame but satisfying sense of pride and accomplishment that I caught the bus when I thought for sure I wouldn't. I avoid some curious stares on the bus. I wonder what they think I was running for....

7 comments:

Evan L. said...

Nice job!

Mary Ellen said...

hahaha its like deciding whether or not to run for the rutgers buses!this is colleen btw, just didn't feel like changing profiles

Trevor said...

Hmmm, I don't know Colleen. If changing profiles was too much effort, should we really expect you'd make a run for the bus?

Anonymous said...

I am always so proud of you Julie!!
Was the bus driver from Ireland?
Mom

Unknown said...

With nearly everyone speaking a different language, there must be a LOT of awkward laughing going on. "I don't know what you just said. In place of understanding your language, I offer you this: A little smile. A little chuckle. And then move along and pretend that what you said was at least mildly funny."

Mary Ellen said...

And say, "Tak."

Anonymous said...

I wish you had a video clip of it
Gitte

Post a Comment