December 8: School Bus

Driving on Route One this afternoon, I passed a school bus paused at a stop sign. As I drove by, the only passenger I noticed was a small boy in the front seat. He was slumped forward with his face pressed against the window, a vacant look in his eyes. The image of his pale face stuck with me, and memories of long dull bus rides came rushing back. That little boy seemed to embody the very tedium of everyday life. No matter how happy we are, we all experience those moments when ordinary routines get the best of us and we slump against the bus window, watching the same old scenery go by mile after mile. But eventually we step off the bus and we're home. And life gets interesting once again.

Pale face on a bus.
Ah, the tedium of life
for such a young boy.