I'd rather walk...

Today I was chewed up, spit out, and left for dead by Chicago's bus system. I shouldn't blame the bus. It was, after all, my fault that I decided to "wing it" on the way home from my internship tonight. I have taken this approach before, but never during rush hour. Which proved to be a bad idea. I had a vague remembrance of which bus I needed to get on, which stop to get off at, and which bus to take from there. Oh, who am I kidding. I knew I needed to go southeast, and that's all I knew. In a situation where I would just pull up the navigation on my phone, I could not. My hands were occupied with my purse, laptop case, and transit card. And a venti regular coffee from Starbucks. Anyway, I simply could not access my phone, bottom line. So there I went, I hopped on the "correct" bus only to find that it was jammed with people just leaving work. Of course it was, it was 5:00. The bus driver does not care if you've got a grip on something, when the light turns green, he goes. So there I was, in this fast moving bus, shoulder to shoulder with strangers. I wish I could have been an outsider watching this can of sardines go barreling down the street, its passengers being thrown against the windows, myself included. After about 4 stops, I decided I was done. I've had enough. I made my way off that bus so fast you'd think someone had pulled out a gun. I didn't care where I was, but I at least had a chance to pull myself together, take out my phone, and decide exactly where I needed to be going. From that fleeting moment off the bus, to the time I walked in my door was a blur. I was a disheveled mess. Next time I take the bus, I will have a plan.  I promise you that. 


Although rush hour is never the most pleasant time to take public transportation, there is something fulfilling about being a part of that rush. As if finishing your day at 5:00 means that you have done good, you have succeeded. Everyone has completed another day, and everyone is eager to get home. And that's where I am now, home. It is just past 8:00. I am in bed and barely keeping my eyes open, as if it were 3 in the morning. There is nothing wrong with that.