Amazing Bus Driver

My daughter's bus driver gave her a flower. A rose, in fact. Was it a special occasion? Doesn’t matter in my book, because it’s her bus driver. The one who picks her up and drops her off at school. My daughter speaks a few words to her each day, sits in her seat, and that’s it. What would cause a person to make such a kind gesture?

The backstory. My daughter loves to dance. She has been at it since she was three, which gives her seven years of experience. For research purposes, I went back and looked at a couple videos of her dancing when she was just starting. She wore a pink leotard and had her hair in a tight miniature pumpkin-looking bun. Her smile was genuine, her love of dance unmistakable. It wasn’t that she was the most talented or graceful child to ever put on dance slippers, she just loved to dance.

Fast forward to the present, and it’s dance competition season. This was the second year we had driven to Coeur d'Alene for the competition, and my daughter had a solo dance on top of three other dances. At the beginning of the school year, we gave her the option between more dance or staying with soccer, dance, and ski team. She went all in on dance.

Apparently, she had been keeping her bus driver up-to-date on all things dance. The result was a single rose, presented to her when she got on the bus the day before competition. A friend at school gave her a coconut water bottle for holding the flower. When I picked her up that afternoon, I was surprised to see the gift, but even more stunned by the source.

There are so many flashy jobs, the ones everyone recognizes as good, helpful, or necessary for a functioning society. We celebrate people in those positions because they are out front, visibly making the world a better place through their hard work. But I love the people whose job happens in more of a vacuum. The quiet people doing meaningful work that almost never get applauded for their contributions.

This wonderful bus driver, she is one of those people. Her work is incredibly important. Getting our kids to and from home is actually a big deal. She gives parents the best feeling when they are away from their children, the feeling that they are safe and in good hands. Bus drivers, janitors, cooks, and so many more all play important parts in the education show. Because of their hard work, our students have the things they need to learn. The teachers are obviously so important, but let’s not forget all the other people behind the scenes who complete the picture.

I was contemplating all this while standing in line at the pharmacy, when I noticed my old bus driver standing behind me. She was also a fantastic human, and made the ride as enjoyable as it could be. We struck up a conversation, and my heart was warmed by hearing about her family and what she had been up to in retirement.

Sometimes life gives you perfect symmetry - a link between the past and present. So say thank you to those all-important people who work for the betterment of our society, but don’t have any sexy titles. They matter greatly. As for this current bus driver, the gift they gave was more than a simple flower; it was letting my daughter know that she is listened to and supported. What an amazing bus driver.