Today I found myself on the 300 route. That is the route I’ve been working since October. Today I also found, with help from little friends, a better me.

The best way to explain is to give an example of what a typical morning is like on the 300. I would pull my bus out of the Capital Metro gate about 4:20 in the morning. Life in Austin is remarkably quiet and still at this time. My assignment called for me to travel on Pleasant Valley to Cesar Chavez, then north on I-35 to North Lamar Transfer Center. Very quiescent was this drive but instead of drifting to daydreaming I would become reflective. It was the best time to write poetry. Unfortunately I was driving a bus instead of sitting at my desk.

But I was receptive to the subtleties of life while driving this route, the quiet current that runs deep below the rough choppy waters.

If you are familiar with the 300 route from one end to the other, then you know it covers two HEB markets, one clinic and two children’s day care centers. Because of these hubs, daily I had young mothers with one or two small children in tow. Nothing in my work environment delighted me more than when my preschooler passengers turned as they were getting off and looked directly at me and gave me a smile. It was a gift, wrapped in magic. Each touching a chord in my soul and making me better.