Waiting for the Bus

On most days I take the number 9 bus line between home and work. It is one of those meandering bus lines, winding all through Jerusalem, subject to the every whim of traffic delays. A bus is supposed to pass by every twenty minutes, but it is easy to wait thirty or forty minutes for the bus to arrive since the actual arrival times are subject to “road conditions”.

Once, while waiting in the morning for no. 9, the no. 19 bus passed by 4 times. A few other passengers were waiting with me for the no. 9 and we couldn’t help exclaiming about the injustice. At least I wasn’t tempted to get on the no. 19. A few years ago, when I saw that I had just missed a no. 9, I did get on the no. 19 bus, thinking, at least it will get me closer to my workplace. It did take me closer, however it stopped at the bottom of the hill. By the time I managed to climb up the mountain to my destination I was exhausted and I hadn’t gotten there any earlier. A friend at work who lived nearby at the time, knowingly chastised me, “Never get on the 19.”

Getting home on the no. 9 is an even bigger nesayon (test). The no. 7 bus, which is right at the beginning of its route, comes right on schedule, every 12 minutes. No. 7 initially duplicates much of the route of no. 9, however, it skips my neighborhood. There are some blessed souls who can take either the 7 or the 9, with the 7 getting them home a little bit faster. They complain when the 9 arrives before the 7! They don’t realize how grateful they should be for having two bus lines that could get them home.

There are also those occasional days when my normal routine changes, and I find myself happily boarding the no. 7 bus for an appointment or errand down town. However, when I get off the bus, I’m not home. I am continuing my busy day and I have a long walk home or another bus ride ahead of me.

With all the difficulty of being a regular rider of the no. 9, I must acknowledge the improvements over the last few years. In the past, the no. 9 came every thirty minutes, now it comes every twenty. The route between my home and work has become more direct, saving time and motion sickness. Previously, I needed to get off the bus a few blocks away from our home, now my stop is across the street. Even the pricing for public transportation has gone down recently.

Despite the improvements, I still sometimes slip into negative thoughts. Why must I waste so much time waiting for the bus?!

Of course, there is absolutely no injustice in how long I wait for the bus. Just like the “big things”, like finding your zivug (soul-mate), having children, finding parnasa (income) or healing from serious illness, salvation arrives not one moment before nor one moment after Hashem decides that it will. It’s all Divine Providence, down to the smallest detail (including my tribulations on the No. 9). So every time I am waiting for the bus, I try to remember that Hashem wants me to serve Him from this place, right now, and I should be happy with my situation (even if I’ve already been waiting 30 minutes for the bus in a heat wave). I also try and concentrate on all of the good I have done in the “mean time”. I have been zoche (merited) to say many times the tikun haklali (those little GEMS are so handy) and endless books of Psalms, while waiting for, boarding, and riding the bus. And Hashem knows what work I have been putting in, and continue putting in, while waiting for the big salvations in life.

Every time I feel a bit frustrated seeing other peoples’ supposed success where I am still struggling, I remember my lesson from the number 9 bus. Each person is on their own path. Sometimes my path seems full of challenges, but it is still my path. Someone else’s path is good for him or her but it isn’t good for me. It doesn’t make much sense to get on the wrong bus, just because it came first.

After all, the no. 9 bus is the one that takes me where I need to go.