The Route

 

Imagine that you were once there, standing on the side of The Road. You could hear the engine before you saw the top of the bus, coming over the horizon. The bus slowed down and came to a stop right in front of you. It was a typical, yellow, school bus, with four, numerical digits on the side of it. You’d come to think of those digits as the year you were born, but it’s really just a way of keeping up with the place where you got on. The numbers change as you go and you’ll see four different numbers on the side when you get off (but that’s a story for later).

When you first stepped on, you saw old people and children as young as yourself. You saw groups of people who seemed to somehow go together. One particular female probably held you at first, and she probably had a companion. You referred to them as parents and they were very important to you. You may have noticed other, young people, who appeared to have a similar relationship to the parents, you referred to these people as siblings.

Not long after you got on this bus, you saw the driver preparing to stop, but there was no one to pick up. The driver rolled to a gentle stop, opened the door and you noticed an elderly man standing up. The old man turned around to have one last look at the crowd. He had a tear in his eye and others wept. He slowly stepped off of the bus and you noticed others, walking up the sidewalk to greet him; they all seemed to know him well.

The journey continued, but the dynamic seemed to change now and then. Finally, there was what appeared to be a bundle of cloth beside the road. The driver slowed down and the one female who had been holding you went to the front of the bus to retrieve the package. There was an infant in the blanket and everyone in your group was smiling. You came to think of this infant as another sibling. You have noticed, by now, that your physical appearance is changing with every stop. Old people continue to get off and infants keep getting on.

Sometimes, a younger person steps off. This is always the saddest of stops. Every passenger and even The Driver cries very sad tears for a long time after such a stop.

Well into the journey, you see the bus slowing and you wonder who will be getting off this time. Suddenly, your father stands up. With big tears, he turns to you and pats you on the head. This is not good and you begin to wonder what the point to this trip has been. Your father leaves the bus, turns to wave and is joined by people who had obviously been on the bus before you came onboard. Looking back, you see your father wiping the last tear and his smile returns when he sees someone he had been missing since they got off the bus.

With each stop, other loved ones depart and new babies get on. The ride is not always smooth, but you begin to settle in after a while and you begin to understand the routine. You look around the bus and you remember when your aunt sat over there and your uncle sat there. You see nieces and nephews in those seats now. You have your own stop, where you retrieve a blanket, filled with a baby. This new rider looks to you for understanding and you try to explain everything while the ride continues.

The baby grows and you see it become an adult. The bus continues to stop and let loved ones off. Other babies get on.

One day, the bus stops and your baby – all grow up now, and sitting with a chosen rider – goes to retrieve its own baby. And your child brings you the baby and you refer to it as a grandchild and there is much joy.

Loved ones continue to depart and this reminds you to love those riders who remain, while you can.

You may begin, at any point, to wonder Who is driving the bus, where it is ultimately going and how it actually runs. You may go up front, to inquire and The Driver will assure you that you’ll understand it all someday. The driver will smile and pat you on your head the way your father once did and you’ll return to your seat.

And then, one day, the bus slows down and there is no infant to pick up, and no one is standing. It will occur to you that this is your stop. You look around at the riders still on the bus and there are many tears in your section. You pat your child on the head and you kiss your grandchildren and other loved ones and you tearfully walk to the front. And there are three steps to the sidewalk. You step off and the silence is numbing. You look back at the bus and faces press the windows on your side and they are all, already missing you. You shed another tear and you wave goodbye, and then you hear your name. The bus brakes release the air pressure, the door closes and the bus rolls, and you hear your name again. This time you turn around and you see everyone you ever saw on the bus. They are all there, young and old. And there is a celebration.

Day by day, the bus makes its usual route, always letting someone off for the celebration. And day by day, a new baby is taken to the curb for retrieval.

And one day, far into the future, you are standing there, waiting for loved ones to embrace, and the door to the bus opens and you finally catch a glimpse of the driver’s face, and it is the most shocking thing about this unbelievable experience. The driver’s face is an ever changing face and it is the face of everyone who has ever been and ever will be a rider on the bus. You will even see yourself as the driver. This is when it will occur to you that All is One. The Observer, The Driver, The Passengers All; One.

And as The Driver, you will see yourself, standing on the sidewalk, stunned by the revelation. And you will smile at yourself, close the door and carry on.

~THE END