I was on the bus today and the driver I noticed was one of those high-energy, talk and kibitz with everyone people. I had my nose in a book as usual and his energy kept peaking over the top of my book and making me smile. At one stop he through the door open and said, “Well hello darlin’ you just wait and I will get the ramp for you.” He had a big smile and the new passenger did too. She was an older lady with a walker, one of those ones with the seat so you can sit down too. I had seen this passenger on this bus route before and I was very surprised to see her smiling. My experience of her in the past was surly and demanding and she’d acted as if the whole world owed her either because she was old, or because she was handicapped, or both. Not today. Today she seemed almost flirty with the driver who had greeted her cheerily and called her “darlin” and she proceeded to ask two gentlemen to let her have their seat so she would have room for her walker, which they seemed to do gladly. Then she noticed a baby in a stroller across the aisle and smiled and spoke to the child and nodded to the mother. Wow! The other times I had seen this woman she hadn’t noticed anything beyond her own disgruntlement.

I thought to myself, “I wonder if this driver knows to what degree he is manifesting goodwill around him. I should tell him.” Then I thought, “No I’d have to walk to the front of the bus and people would be looking at me and thinking things about me.” And, “He probably is very aware of his effect.” And, “Oh I won’t bother, I’m kind of into my book.” “Blah, blah, blah, blah…..”, went the voices in my head. You know that whole community of very opinionated considerations in our heads. So I decided to risk silencing them and pulled the cord for my stop and got up and went and asked the driver if I could share something with him. He agreed and I shared my observation of the positive impact his energy and personality and willingness to share with others was having on the world around him through the example of this one woman. He seemed pleased, if a bit embarrassed and I got off the bus with well wishes at my heals and a feeling of pride in my self for having stepped through my fear of risking and doing it any.

Oh, and the seventy-five cents.

While I was sharing my observations with the bus driver I had this amazing view of the road directly in front of the bus. If you have ever ridden in or driven a combine you can literally look straight down at what is immediately in front. Well, this was like that, and I was amazed that as he slowed to go around the traffic circle before my stop I could see one, two, three quarters all lined up in the middle of the road about 2 feet apart. I was curious how they had gotten there or if I had actually seen correctly. Remember I was talking. So when I got off the bus I thought I will go see and pick those quarters up. Then I thought, “No I won’t someone will see me and judge me and think, “That crazy lady is walking down the street picking things up, is she a bag lady.” Then I thought, “No there is too much traffic.” Then I thought, “Well if the traffic gets past by the time I get to the cross walk I will take a look, but it won’t because there is a lot coming. Then I had to slow down walking because the lady who had gotten off the bus from the back door was in front of me and not really far enough to the right to pass without an “excuse me” so I slowed down my pace.

Well the traffic had passed by the time I got to the cross walk so I slowed to look. Yup, they were quarters, and there were three of them and I picked them up thinking this is pretty cool. I have gotten a raise from heaven. I am being paid quarters now instead of pennies. Yup my payment and my reward for paying attention to my knowing, my intuition, my spirit guides.

What is it worth to risk getting off my butt and share with someone my observation of their divinity? Seventy five cents? Priceless?