I had to let go of my car! The crankshaft had gone and I didn’t know how much it would cost to fix it. MOT, insurance and service were coming up – money has been tight! So I called up a national disposal company – negotiated a measly 100 pounds – and voila it was gone!!I knew it would be difficult. My home isn’t close to the tube, and the only way to get to work and church is by bus! A journey that took 20 minutes now takes one and half hours. I thought I’d use the extra time to catch up on my reading, but with the distractions this is almost impossible. On my way back home one evening, after a particularly stressful day at work, I didn’t appreciate the high pitched squealing of the baby at the front of the bus, or the teenagers talking AT each other with loud voices. How I miss unwinding in the silence of my car!!!
The teenagers!
Under 16’s have free bus travel; on condition they have a photo Oyster card. It really doesn’t cost a lot to get one, but almost every week a group of teenagers will get onto the bus without their oyster cards. They either try to sneak in or negotiate with the bus driver. When he refuses to relent, they push past anyway and go up to the top deck – loud music blasting from their mobile phones. The driver switches off the engine and refuses to budge until they get off. Us passengers are too scared to tell the kids off, because you never know in London, with all these stories of knife crime, they could come after you.
It’s so annoying!
However, I’ve been blessed by the generosity and kindness of other people. My work colleague has given me a lift a couple of times, to a half way point- cutting my journey home to 30 minutes. I’ve bonded with Joanne who gives me a lift after Alpha every Tuesday evening. Sarah Jane picked me up from home one Sunday to take me for the evening service. It’s really humbling and makes me think that I should have been more generous with my car when I had one.
I’m walking more – an extra 30 minutes a day. Sometimes more- if I am going straight to church from the office – about 45 minute walk. Plus I get loads of aerobic activity running to catch the bus, knowing that if you miss THIS one; you’ll have to wait another 30 minutes till the next one comes! I’m trying to focus on the positives here – even though right now I feel the negatives far outweigh them.
I suppose like with most things, I’ll get used to it, and it will cease to bother me.
