As happenstance had it, we attended 2 light shows last week within the space of 3 days. While the Harry Potter Experience was superior in some ways, as it should be given its price point, it was also an hour’s drive in weeknight traffic, which led to our arrival with post-bickering stress syndrome (PBSS). And how about that mandatory parking fee when, really, how else could we have gotten there? To get in a more relaxed mood, we then bought overpriced drinks and dessert in ‘Hogsmead’ while waiting for friends also stuck in traffic. All-told we were out of pocket $200, which I consider exorbitant and not something I plan to repeat anytime soon.
Two days later we caught the last night of a smaller installation in a downtown park, which was, granted, less enthralling, but where I enjoyed myself more. Why? For one thing, we took the bus to avoid the ‘looking for parking’ issue and concomitant PBSS. Instead we parked at a strip mall 5 minutes from our home to have dinner. The service at the cheap sushi place was pretty slow (clearly they aren’t used to folks needing to catch buses) and we almost gave up the transit plan entirely. But I was determined to do this one thing! So we waited at the stop while a guy with a cart appeared to be snorting something. Yes, this is one reason folks avoid public transit and I’ll admit my relief when he walked away and didn’t board our route.
The bus was surprisingly full for a Saturday evening and I sat behind someone with BO and greasy hair. Sounds judgy, but part of my intention is to highlight some realities we need to get over in order to use less fossil fuel. Humanity is messy and we have to check our superiority at the door, and I’ll again, admit my relief when he got off the bus. This is not an EITHER/OR, it’s an AND situation, as in people smell on the bus (or talk to themselves, or otherwise make me slightly uncomfortable), AND I’m still riding it.
Our stop was a 15 minute walk across the Capitol grounds, which are lovely in the evening if you can forget who reigns inside that building. We heard singing and my daughter asked about its source. At first I contemplated the possibility of a holdover band from the Texas Book Festival, but after seeing the Jesus sign we were evidently in the field of a marching prayer group. Yup, that’s how some folks spread beauty to the world in these parts.
Moving on, we passed the parking garage that used to be free but now charges $20 per event. High-five for missing that! Instead we indulged in cookies from a local vendor before enjoying the artsy-lit walk along the creek…a part of nature I would otherwise avoid after dark for safety reasons. The pocketed parking fee was burning a hole in our pockets, so we nabbed a pedicab back with a rider who was wiser than us and knew where the bus stop was. I was impressed with her ability to haul our combined weight uphill, even with an EV. All in all, the 3 of us enjoyed each other’s company and had more time to chat in the extra 45 minutes or so of waiting and sitting on the bus, not to mention experiencing the sights and sounds of a fall evening.
Some readers may scoff at this post and say, big deal, you took the bus once lady? How will that help the ticking time bomb of climate change? I grant you, it’s a small thing, but I'm going to do it again today to run errands, because I recognize that the time and stress saved are their own reward, and maybe, just maybe, I can inspire others to do the same. My influence is the only power I can wield some days to get more hands on that boulder we need to collectively push over this monstrous hill. Who’s with me? Can you pick one day a week or month to step off the rushing bandwagon and allow your to-do list to spread out into human time? Speaking of which, I need to run to catch my bus!
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