@: The light on the bus

The Light on the Bus

A true story by Elizabeth Gilbert. Adapted for English Language Learners / Photo courtesy, Unsplash!

I was on a bus in New York City during rush hour (when there were LOTS of cars on the road). Traffic was moving very, very slowly. The bus was filled with cold, tired people who were very unhappy and angry. Two men shouted at each other. A pregnant woman got on, and nobody gave her a seat. Anger was in the air.

As the bus came to Seventh Avenue, the driver got on the bus microphone. 'Folks,' he said, 'I know you had a hard day and you are discouraged and have lots of problems. I can’t do anything about the weather or the traffic, but here is what I can do. As each one of you gets off the bus, I will reach out my hand to you. As you walk by, drop your troubles into my hand. Don’t take your problems home to your families tonight, just leave them with me. My route goes right by the Hudson River, and when I drive there later, I will open the window and throw your troubles in the water.'

It was as if a magic spell had lifted. Everyone started to laugh. Faces filled with joy and delight. People were suddenly smiling at each other.

At the next stop, just as promised, the driver reached out his hand, turned it over, his palm facing up, and waited. One by one, all the exiting commuters placed their hand just above his and mimed (pretended) to drop their problems into his hand. Some people laughed as they did this, some cried, but everyone did it. The driver repeated the same thing at the next stop, too. And the next. All the way to the river.

We live in a hard world. Sometimes it is very difficult to be a human being. Sometimes you have a bad day. Sometimes you have a bad day that lasts for several years. There are times when everything seems covered in darkness. More than anything else you want light but don’t know where to find it.

But what if you are the light? That’s what this bus driver taught me: that anyone can be the light, at any moment. The bus driver wasn’t someone famous or important. He was a bus driver. But he had real power: love. And he used it to help everyone on the bus.

When life feels especially sad, or when I feel totally powerless in the face of the world’s troubles, I think of this man and ask myself, What can I do, right now, to be the light?

No matter who you are, or where you are, I believe you can bring light to your world. In fact, I believe this is the only way the world will ever be filled with light: one light filled act of grace at a time, all the way to the river.

Elizabeth Gilbert is an American author best known for her memoir Eat, Pray, Love.