Time Sensitive

“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” ~Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., American Baptist Minister and Civil Rights Leader (1929-1968)

Ann Marie wasn’t very happy. As part of her company’s consolidation strategy her office had been moved from her local community to Woodland Hills. Her short commute had become a twice daily odyssey. The Metrolink train took her only as far as the Chatsworth Station. From there she relied on bus service to get to her office. Today it had been a half hour wait for the bus. When it did arrive the bus number was off by one number.

Concerned and confused she clambered aboard flashing her pass to the driver. “Does this bus stop at Warner Center?” she asked tentatively. The driver flashed here a radiant smile, “Don’t you worry, I’ll get you where you need to go!” “Pick yourself a nice seat." "We’ll be there soon.” Ann Marie couldn’t help but smile back. The door closed behind her with a “whosh-click” sound. She made her way to the first open seat and plopped into it.

As the bus pulled away from the curb Ann Marie pondered her encounter with the driver. He was a tall black man in his late thirties or early forties and seemed too well groomed and dressed to be a bus driver. Then she realized he was humming as he drove.

The bus slowed to a stop at another pick up point. A Hispanic mother and her three children started to climb aboard, but the mother faltered as she tried to negotiate the stroller up the narrow steps. Out of his seat in a flash the driver deftly caught up the stroller in a single movement and lifted it aboard simultaneously offering a cheery greeting.

This scenario was repeated at every stop. No matter the station in life of the person entering the bus they received the same warm, non judgmental greetings and attentive treatment. Little old ladies had their heavy shopping bags lifted into the bus; teenagers on their way to school got high-5’s and a “Wass-up!”

Those departing the bus received the same treatment. They were gently returned to a harsh world with a “have a nice day, see you soon” or “you have a good day, OK?”

As they pulled up to yet another stop Ann Marie noticed, what appeared to be, a homeless man sitting in a wheelchair near the tiny bus shelter. A tattered American flag hung limply from the top of a stick which was duct taped to the frame of the chair. On his lap was a battered box of toffee candies in waxy wrappings. “Wheelchair comin’ on!” the driver chirped. Two teens sitting on the flip up bench under the wheelchair sign quickly moved to seats in the back without being asked to do so.

The ramp dropped from the side of the bus and the homeless man rolled aboard. The driver produced a crisp dollar bill. “Did you save one of those candies for me?” he asked the homeless man. “Sure” the man replied in surprise, breaking into a grimy, nearly toothless grin. The driver selected a candy from the box, pocketed it with a smile and returned to his seat. The bus rumbled off again.

Ann Marie was surprised to realize they were arriving at Warner Center. The ride hadn’t seemed quite so long today. Heading toward the front of the bus she guided her laptop bag and purse between the seats. She reached the top of the stairs and turned to head down them. “You have a nice day now,” came the voice from behind her. When she turned back she met the same sincere smile which had greeted her when she had boarded earlier that day. “You to,” she replied returning the smile.

She turned and headed down the stairs and out into the warmth of the morning sun feeling a little better about her commute.

The impact we have upon the world will not be measured by our station in life, but by what we do with our station in life. Some think they need power, prestige or position to effect change in the world. In point of fact, we can have as much positive impact on the world from behind the steering wheel of a bus, as we can from the corner office of a downtown high rise; perhaps more.

Many of us view the stewardship of time on a quantitative basis. We ask: How much time should I give to my church? How much time should I spend volunteering in the community? How much time should I spend with my family, etc.? Being good stewards of our time on earth is not always measured in minutes and hours however. More often it is measured by the quality of the expenditure: the smiles it generated, the love it demonstrated and the human kindness it distributed.

Quantitatively the bus driver was spending his time working, but the way in which he did his job made all the difference. Not only did he influence the attitude of the others he served, but he modeled Christian behavior for them as well. His life was a homily we will never hear in church.

Every moment of our lives, every encounter with another human being is an opportunity to make a difference in their lives and our lives as well. In the end, the world will not be saved by a few grand gestures, but by a million small kindnesses.

Dear God: remind me to live my life so as to positively affect the lives of all I meet.

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” ~Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., American Baptist Minister and Civil Rights Leader (1929-1968)

© 2011 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.

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