Bus Ride

This is going to be somewhat of a story....but more-so of a story, it's going to be my account of a feeling. A feeling I haven't felt in a long long time... perhaps in 15 or more years. From a time that almost seemed like a different life.

It's from an age that we often forget what it's like to experience. An age before you know what the world is... An age where 90% of your life was experienced at the house. The house was your world...and it was magnificent. Especially since it was littered with all your prized possessions -- Your toys! The world's population consisted of your mother and father, and perhaps older siblings -- All of whom loved you! Everyone in the world loved you! Every room was like a new country, every piece of furniture was a jungle gym (or building blocks for a fort), the stairs were like journeying up a mountain!

And if you were lucky...every once in a while. You'd get to catch a glimpse of Beyond.

Your parents would take you in this magical contraption called a car, and you they would drive you straight into the wonderful, mysterious realm of Beyond.

You'd peak your head out the window, and see this new world, much larger than your previous one. You'd watch in awe, as you watched the world outside unfold. The orange glow of the sun bouncing off every wall, tree, and building. Cars stopped, trying to get on the freeway... Other families driving past you; each one with their own fascinating, mysterious agenda. Every sound was unique and fascinating within itself, the roar of the cars on the freeway, the sounds of the honks, and the bumps of the road on the tires of the car. Sounds you rarely experienced.

This new world was bathed in a mysterious, magical glow. Beyond every wall, tree, and house was an expanse of mystery. Anything could be waiting out there. I didn't care to know the specifics of what was beyond, I just knew whatever it was, it was glorious and exciting.

The smell of the car was still new... overpowering. It wasn't a good or bad smell, it was just a new smell. One adults take for granted.

I was just excited to go out and peak at the wonderful expanse of this mysterious place. I didn't care where we were at or what the time was. Just to experience the sights, smells, and sounds, was enough of a gift. Every new sight/sound/smell brought with it a different feeling of fascination, feeling, and wonder. Worry didn't exist, wonder had taken its place. The future didn't matter, it wasn't even a concept in our minds at that point. It was just a word. It didn't matter where we went or what we did, anything outside was a chance to experience something new. Life was just a game of discovery. It was there to be discovered, by us.

[Remember how excited you were when you learned that new "fun fact" when you were young? You had to tell everyone you meet! Why? Because how could you not!? It was a discovery made by you (even though someone told you first), and you had to share it!]

And adults! Why did they looked so stressed out all the time! Why was everyone looking so still and unexcited?! They were experiencing the same thing you were! Driving through a sea of excitement!

Anyways, for the first time in a long time (on a bus ride back from Seattle to Marysville), for some reason I experienced this feeling again. I sat there on the bus, staring out the windows at the world outside. My mind didn't care to understand anything that was going on outside the bus. It was just mystery and wonder outside. It reminded me of all the trips I took in the car when I was young. The hypersensitivity, the wonder, the awe... It lasted only 5-10 minutes, but it was along enough for me to take notes on notecards, so I could write this blog post.

I hope anyone who reads this got something out of it. As we grow older, we forget what it's like to be young. I wrote this in hopes of providing you with a window to your own past. If anyone has any childhood feelings/memories they'd like to share, feel free to leave a comment.