I ride the bus to work every day. Just like I did some ten years ago on the way to school, I stand outside every morning and wait for the bus. After a brief venture into the world of vehicular freedom, I’ve come back to blessings of mass transit.

At first riding the bus was a financial necessity. I was two weeks out of college, one week of a marriage ceremony, and one day into a brand new job. My wife had to get to school and I had to get to work, two destinations in opposite directions. The bus seemed like an easy solution, but I had no idea I’d like it so much.

I leave the apartment at 6:45 a.m., and if I timed things right, the #67 picks me up a few minutes later on the same block. If I didn’t time things right, it’s no big loss. I take a ten-block hike down to University Avenue and pick up the #16 or the #50 there. Ten blocks may sound like a lot, but it takes about seven minutes and is good exercise–something a desk-jockey like myself could use. If I was lucky enough to avoid my exercise and catch the #67, it just takes me a little farther down on University and I pick up the #16 or the #50.

At first all the numbers seem a confusing, and they are. But you get used to it. The #16 and #50 are actually the same route, it’s just the #50 is a limited stop route, which means it only stops at the major cross streets, which means it’s about 10 to 15 minutes faster than the #16. Of course the #16 comes every ten minutes, while the #50 only comes every half-hour. All this basically means if I miss the bus I don’t have to wait long for the next one.

My ride on the #16 or the #50 is the long part of the trip, and the part I like the best. This trip takes about half an hour, and gives ample time for letting your mind wander. But more on that later. Once I get to downtown Minneapolis, I have a few choices. I could opt for lots of exercise, and walk the ten blocks to my office, or I could catch one of the many buses that travels the same route. I only offer the walking option because for the first month of my commuting experience I didn’t realize I could take a bus. Now I always take a bus. And when I say one of the many buses along that route, I mean many. I could take the #4, the #6, the #12, or the #28. And those buses come at least every ten minutes.

With all those bus numbers and transfers and waiting you’d think riding the bus would be a hassle. And maybe it is. But it’s taught me patience. I’m the kind of guy who looks at my watch every two minutes, just to make sure things are still moving along. But when you ride the bus, you suddenly have to give up a lot of control. Even if I get to the bus stop when the bus is supposed to be there, there’s always the chance that the bus came early and I missed it. No matter how early I show up, the bus can always come late. It teaches me to just chill out and not be so worried. I know that eventually I’ll get where I’m going, I just have to be patient. Unfortunately, I’m still learning that lesson. I still try to leave work at 4:30 on the dot so I catch that 4:32 bus, even though there’s a 4:36 bus that still gets me home to my wife at about the same time. So there’s still some patience there to learn.

When you’re actually settled into the seat and riding the bus, it’s a wonderful experience. You don’t have to keep your eyes on the road. You can let them wander all over the road, dance across the many bumper stickers on the car next to you, even take in the sites of the city as you roll along. You can even close your eyes and drift off to sleep. This is a great option for those dark winter mornings, but there’s always the danger of waking up in the wrong city. A guy I work with often rides the same bus I do, and he often opts for the eye-closing option. I’ve had to wake him up on a number of occasions, and he has a few stories about missing his stops.

Zoning out is a great way to pass time on the bus. Rather than build up anger and frustration while you fight traffic on the freeway, you can just relax. Relaxing is a lost art when you’re hurrying from your front door to the car door to the entrance ramp to the exit ramp to the parking ramp to the cubicle door and back again.

But even better than zoning out is the opportunity to read. Last year I read 37 books, most of them while riding on the bus. Never in my life did I dream I’d read that many books. Not even in college when you’re supposed to read until you can’t see straight did I read that many books. Of course reading may not sound that exciting to you, but as a writer, it’s my livelihood. And reading isn’t the only thing you can do. You can write, you can read, you can listen to music, you can sleep, you can make new friends. Bus riding just has so many more options that driving in your car all by your lonesome.

Another one rides the bus.