Shuttle Driver Extraordinaire

Somewhere around the time that I was first married and still in graduate school, I had this great job of driving the University shuttle around campus.  I would start at our apartment complex, and then work my way around, stopping at the various shuttle stops, picking people up, dropping people off.

Driving this around... not the same thing.

I was a regular bus driver, and my wife thought this was the most boring job on the planet.  

I disagreed (and still do).  I would start out with a big travel mug full of coffee, get some Lord of the Rings soundtrack CDs and just think.  

People would talk to me and chat with one another (I overheard quite a few interesting conversations), but mostly I was just alone with my thoughts. I would even bring a little notepad and a pencil to jot down ideas as I had them.

Quiet. Peace. Stillness.  Three things that I need, but don't get a lot of all the time.

One time Annabelle when she was five was talking to me (I can't for the life of me remember what), and suddenly stopped and said, "Dad, girls like to talk, don't they?"  Yes, Annabelle, they do.  They do.  

My girls LOVE to talk. And discuss, discuss, discuss, and rehash, and talk some more. 

And, that's okay, that's good.  I like that they feel free to communicate with me. I want to keep that going.

But, that's also why I need a couple hours every night of time that is calm.  It doesn't have to be perfectly quiet. I like to talk to my wife or watch a movie, but that's about it.  Winding down is important. It's even an important part of writing - thinking about my story is integral to the writing process.

Sometimes I think about those days of driving the shuttle with nostalgia.  What a great job...