The View From Nathan's Bus

The opening post, explaining the point of this blog~

6/30/2012

What blog is this? You might be tempted to ask. It's the happy bus driver blog. There's only one of those. There are other blogs written by jaded or unhappy bus drivers, armchair transit enthusiasts, educated local historians, cynical bus riders, gearheads, and so on.... This is the only blog where the author simply talks about the nice things that happen on the bus. You'd be surprised at how often it happens. I can think of no "job"- it feels silly to call it such- I can think of no job that I'd rather be doing. People ask why a kid with a BFA who looks like a teenager would drive buses, but the reason is because it's honestly too great. The people have a restorative power that energizes the soul. If you've been on my bus, you know what I'm talking about (Here's an article a friend wrote about it). If not, well, I hope the blog offers an idea. I'll explain more in the future, but for now I'll offer an example, above.

16 Comments

Rebecca

7/1/2012 06:10:03 am

Nathan, I'm so proud of you--truly. You did what you wanted and found joy in it. It's a pleasure to hear you share it all!

Nathan

7/2/2012 09:27:50 pm

Rebecca, thank you so much! It's great to hear the encouragement, and that you see it the way I do...sometimes it's hard to explain to people. Their eyes get confused after they hear "bus driving!"

Alexandrea

7/12/2012 05:57:52 am

It was truly a joy to ride your bus my friend. The people of Seattle are lucky to have you on their routes.

7/15/2012 03:14:22 am

Alex,

It was always such a joy to have you there. You are missed! Even after you moved away, I would sometimes come around the curve and on Taylor Avenue and still find myself wondering, will Alex be there today? Wishful thinking, I guess!

Heather Starbuck

7/15/2012 03:14:03 pm

You, my friend, are truly connected to what is important (in my opinion) while we are on this planet. To love others and have them love you in return. :)

7/15/2012 06:19:14 pm

Heather, I learn from the enthusiasm of people like you. I still remember you and Sue having a conversation at the library about whether or not you would eat a dust bunny for a million dollars. Thank you for the comment, and for being so filled with loving energy!

Rob

6/5/2013 02:49:34 pm

Sorry my friend I dont want to be a spoil sport but I doubt very much if you had to drive this bus full time ie 46h+ a week if you would not become the average grumpy driver like I am.

Also it looks like it is still too early days to be bragging your love for the job. Do it full time for 3 years and your will probably have to start a new blog all together about the health hazards of this job.

Trust me I don't want that you end up like the average grumpy driver, but this is what going to happen if you really choose to drive for a living not as a partime pastime.

6/5/2013 06:40:12 pm

Hi Rob, Thank you for your excellent comments. You're not a spoilsport- I hear such sentiments leveled at me all the time. I've been driving 6 years, and I do work 46+ hour weeks. After driving most of the routes on the eastside, and all the routes at Atlantic, Central, and North bases, I've discovered my favorite ones in the system are the 7, 358, and 3/4, and have picked those for the last 3.5 years straight.

Every year people tell me to wait until next year, or the year after, or until I've done this or that route or had this or that passenger, on the understanding that I will transform into their mindset. However, we all have things we unabashedly love, as I'm sure you know. For me, bus driving is one of those things. Like certain types of art and travel, it's hard- and rewarding. Instead of comparing me bus driving to you bus driving, compare me bus driving to you doing whatever it is you really love doing in life. That is perhaps the appropriate analogy here.

Are there parts of the job I don't like? Yes. I wish the newer coaches had a chat seat. I wish there was more wire. I wish there was less pt work on commuter routes. I wish bus drivers were less divided amongst themselves. Most of all, your mention of health hazards is salient.

There is just one part of your post I don't agree with- I ought to make more clear that "bragging" is not the intent behind my desire to share my enthusiasm. Rather it is a desire to share, to impart the wonder I experience on the road; what fascinates and thrills me out there is not myself, but the people. I'm grateful at the opportunity to spend time with them in the way that I do.

Growing up I've seen things I'm pretty sure most of my generation has not experienced; I am sometimes reminded of them, and feel truly fortunate to be alive as I am today. Our life in this country is unbelievably easy. You and I are incredibly lucky individuals. Thanks for checking out the site, and taking the time to share your thoughts.

6/5/2013 09:57:28 pm

hi Nathan,

thank you taking your time to reply.

I am a bus driver in England and I agree with you when you say we are very lucky to have the opportunities we have.

I would like to apologize for the use of the term bragging as perhaps this is not what I was trying to say.

Being a non native english speaker my choice of words arent always right.

I see you have been driving way longer than me. Respect for that :-)

Thanks for acknowledging the health hazard of the job. It makes me feel a bit less remorse because after all these years watching the my health going downhill I decided to hand in my notice.

But I do plan to come back bus driving in future and your blog will be my inspirational tool in my return. Keep up the enthusiasm. this industry desperately needs it.

Voya

8/31/2013 04:46:03 pm

It's not uncommon for people to pass judgment bassed on their own discomfort.

6/11/2015 07:47:06 pm

Voya,

This is aptly put. There is an urge to somehow explain away someone else's happiness and devalue it in the process. I feel it stems from the self-absorbed tendencies which lead to a vaguely related behavior: people's tendency to offer solutions to "what-life-decision-do-I-make-now" questions while thinking about their own life, what they themselves would want to do, rather than considering the needs of the questioner. This is something I do on occasion, and have to remain mindful of.

6/6/2013 05:25:22 am

Hi Rob,

Thanks again for your kind words. Yes, the health hazard gives me a lot of pause, and I think about it often. It's frustrating in that all the other parts of the job can be dealt with practice, mental discipline, reworking how we see things, and so on- but the physical stress on our knees, shoulders, back etc is just unavoidable.

I try to exercise, stretch (equally important), limit what I eat, and not work TOO too many hours (although it sounds like us bus drivers work a lot no matter where we are in the world!), in the hope that these things will help.

I've noticed if I sleep and eat right I feel a lot more mentally prepared for the road, and that even standing and walking around for 30 seconds at the end of each trip helps. I hope you're able to get back to the bus in the future, and I'm really glad the blog provides some amount of inspiration!

Best,
N

Hey Nathan this is Larry central base Ryerson operator 25 years love your enthusiasm awesome keep it up

8/21/2016 05:38:43 pm

8/24/2016 09:40:24 am

Thank you so much, Mr Larry! I will do just that, or at least try my level best to do so!

Raney

9/1/2023 12:42:51 pm

I finally made it to your blog! Great stuff! Love the eclectic mix of topics esp. the movie reviews. I am overwhelmed by and mad respect for the diversity of art forms, including bus driving, you have poured your self into. Victor Frankl didnt expect his book Man's Search for Meaning to become such a popular book, but his personal experiences in a concentration camp spoke to people more than his scholarly work. I think you are tapping into that same vein of both human suffering and ecstatic experience that make life a new miracle daily and bring us 2gether in the bus community. Ive been riding buses more than 27 years, and have crossed the bridges uncounted times, each unique and soecial, but that's another story, I will try to tell in my own time and way.
I was really nervous the 1st time I met you, because Im a big fan of your writing with a little bit of jealousy mixed in because Id like dearly to be a creative spirit too. It was so wonderful to ride your bus 2 days after meeting you in the library, tho i rarely take the 7, and thanks for taking the time to chat a but! So, I am a writer, and it feels empowering to say that! Thanks for the inspiration to believe in us human beins and the large dose of compassion your blog provides. You are doing, 'Whatever your hand finds to do, do with all your might, as unto the lord,' in your own way, and I greatly appreciate your hard work!

9/28/2023 11:39:55 am

Raney!!

What a pleasure to meet you, and thank you for taking the time to do a deep dive on my site! It's a huge honor to be compared to the Frankl book. I feel like any life examined closely enough is worth writing about. And I say there's plenty of room for tons of writers- I'm so glad you're also a writer! Yes! Let us both continue, living, reflecting, writing! See you on the road, and thanks for saying hello!

The opening post, explaining the point of this blog~

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