An unusual commute to work

I usually take the bus to work, this is provided for free by my workplace.

Today however, I was on a rush, I got out of my house way too late and I knew I would have to run if I wanted to make it in time…

I didn’t want to run.

Instead, I knew that I could make it to the opposite side of the neighborhood and catch a regular bus. If it arrived on time, I could rendezvous with my work transport just in time.

The public bus failed me.

It got to the stop with only one minute left on the clock. I could still catch up to the work transport if the driver was a little late, which happens sometimes.

My hopes paid off, I saw the bus waiting for me and I was only a couple streets away in a direction where the driver would see me running towards the vehicle.

I got off the public bus and ran, my hands up to let the driver know I wanted to get in. Still waving my hands and walking towards the bus, it started moving towards me, I made it—I was only a dozen steps away from it now.

Then it drove past me.

Well, swinging my arms around as if I was stranded on an island and a plane flew by. I ran after the bus making myself as visible as I could, I even managed to catch up with it for a few seconds, before it inevitable sped up. It didn’t see me on the mirror, or at all. Or maybe the driver chose to ignore me because I was late and the guy was grumpy this morning.

I was left there stranded with no clear idea of what to do next.

I send a message to my mom though she doesn’t see it, I think of calling her, I think something else instead—a risky bet that could pay off.

My work bus takes a pretty roundabout route to pick a bunch of people up, the public transport is more streamlined, and there is one spot where both transports meet again, which means I could still take the route to work from there—if everything goes well.

Another public bus is taken, and I think about some other options. Scrolling for a bit, I consider complaining in the the bus chat group. There, I remember a coworker who recently got a car, so I call and ask for a ride. Thankfully, he agrees to help me out, though there’s a catch—the public bus has no stops near his place.

There are two options: hope the public bus catches up to the work bus and hope the work bus sees me this time, or walking for about ten or fifteen minutes and have a sure way to get to work.

I can depend on variables I don’t control, or I can submit myself to walking what I should have walked from the start.

I learned the lesson now, don’t you worry.

We settle on a spot about ten minutes away, I have plenty of adrenaline rushing through me by now because of the stress of the whole thing I don’t even feel tired after the fact.

As I make it to the pick-up spot, something hilarious happens. I see the work bus on its way! I am too far to get on it this time, but now I know I could have met up with it if I had followed my original plan. Something to consider next time.

In any case, my friend asks me if I can make it to another spot instead, only about three minutes of walking distance, totally fine at this point.

A friend from church drives by, sees me and asks me if I need a ride or anything. Truly divine providence and pretty unexpected stuff. I’m so thankful, but I let him know I already have someone to pick me up and he goes his way.

My mom finally messages me worried, telling me I should have called her, she says she’s at the gym and it’s late and all of that. I let her know all is fine and send her a pic of where I’m at. I’m waiting for my friend in that very same gym.

Soon after my ride arrives and we head to work like nothing happened.

This is day 15 of #100DaysToOffload and day 10 of #Blaugust2026