Amongst the Earthlings

An older man got on the bus with an even older woman - his mother.

After we had been traveling for awhile, she asked him where we were.

He said "I don't know, it's hard to say." (We were one stop away from the Central Bus Station.)

A moment later she asked him again where we were.

"A planet called Earth, Mom," he told her. "We are amongst the Earthlings."

Putting Some Positivity Out Into the World

This morning a girl sat down on the bus next to me, took out a prayerbook and started to say her morning prayers. I decided I should do the same. I have a prayerbook app on my phone and I began to say my morning prayers.
When we approached my stop, I thought maybe she'd like to know that she'd inspire me. That it would make her happy to know she had a positive effect on someone. But I wasn't sure how to tell her that in Hebrew. (I figured it out a few minutes later. But I was on the spot because I had to get off the bus.) As I stood up to walk to the door, I realized she was praying from an Artscroll prayerbook with English translation, which meant she had to be an English-speaker.
I said "Thank you for inspiring me to daven this morning too."
Her face lit up and she said "Awwww."
I smiled and got off the bus.

I'm Ba-ack!

It is two years later.
I still take the #7 to work but the #7 has changed its route and I have changed jobs.


Let's take it from the top.


Happy New Year.

Where is the Messiah??

I smiled on the bus this morning at a man I recognize from my neighborhood.
I know he has Tourette's syndrome - have heard him say things that were not nice but could tell it was not on purpose - and we have exchanged pleasantries in the past.
He asked me how I'm doing and where the messiah is already - when will he be here??
I said "Soon, I hope - G-d willing today!"
After a minute or two the man went over to the bus driver. Now, bus drivers can often be testy, especially in traffic.
The man asked him when the messiah is coming.
The driver looked at his watch and said "in an hour and a half - two hours tops."

With G-d's help. Amen.

Stuck in traffic right outside a bakery. Baker is taking flatbreads out of the stone oven with a wooden paddle. 

Bus driver opens the door and shouts at a passing boy:

"Kid! Kid! HEY, KID! 

Get me one of those."

Baker puts a flatbread into a bag and hands it to the boy, who brings it over to the bus and hands it to the driver, Driver gives the boy a coin, which the boy brings back to the baker.

Boy continues on his way.

My Drivers

Lady on the bus: "All the drivers are 'my' drivers. I have two sons in bus driver school."

The Name Game

Every time the next stop is announced as "Agrippas-Bippas," I want to start singing "The Name Game." You know, "Agrippas-grippas bo-bippas banana-fanna fo-fippas me-my-mo-mippas, Agrippas."

Today I looked up and saw that Bippas is actually a cross-street of Agrippas.

So disappointing.