With FAMILY - Being a bus driver

Who is Driving the Bus?

          Frequently, I tell these dream-chasers, “It’s like driving a bus.”  You are the driver, and people are going to get on and off.  Sometimes, they will ride with you for the whole trip, while some will get off after one stop.  Sometimes, there might be passengers you have to ask to get off your bus because they’re disturbing the other passengers or, more importantly, the driver (you).  Still, others will get asked to stay on the bus because you enjoy their company, and they help you get to your destination.  There will also be times when you will have to pull over, fill your tank with gas, have service, or ask for directions.  Maybe you can find a shortcut, or perhaps you will get lost.  The most important thing if you really want to reach your destination is that you keep driving the “bus.”

          Most of the time in life, we are not driving the bus. We are the passengers.  There actually would be no drivers if there were no passengers to pay the fares and to tell the drivers to “Go a little further because I don’t think I’m ready to get off yet. I’m enjoying the ride.” They could be people we see every day, people we see every so often, or only once.  Now, as a passenger, we are sitting beside them on the same route that the driver is taking us on.  And, as a passenger, we have some choices, like where we want to sit or how close we want to be to the other passengers.  Maybe we smile at them, maybe we start a conversation, or maybe we just stare out the window.  Even though we can choose what stop we want to get off at, we also have to realize that as long as we are on this person’s bus, he or she is in the driver’s seat.