The Swedish Bus Driver Stood Up...

The cutest mother herded her three young children and an empty stroller onto the public bus. The bus was almost full, but the three wandered around with their walking sticks like free-roaming cats.  They stirred with wild energy, touching several empty seats and turning to each other to declare their mooring.  Their birth order was evident.  During these two minutes, the passengers were quietly amused.  The frazzled Mom zigzagged around them to the front of the bus and scanned their bus tickets.  Then, as the seven-year-old child dangled from the high, front bus seat, an amazing thing happened.  The bus driver put the bus in park, stood up and moved down the aisle toward the children.  The Mom latched the stroller to the bus' safety belt and straightened up. The bus driver bent down, and in the kindest, softest voice we've ever heard, spoke to the children.  Their little faces turned in attention.  At that moment, you could have heard a pin drop on that bustling bus.  The conversation was in Swedish, but as he asked questions, the children politely pointed to the seats they wanted.  He lifted up each child, granting their request, and buckled them in.  Each one tightly held onto their walking stick.  For a brief 4 minutes, that city bus was tranquil and still.  The driver straightened up, walked back to his seat, started the engine and carried on.
Several quiet stops later, they arrived at their location.  Hopping around on the sidewalk, they were happy about going somewhere.  They continued on their journey, no one in a straight line, the Mom still pushing an empty stroller.

Inspiration at its best.  Most likely, we will never see that same bus driver again, but he made a strong impression on us.  Actually, we admired how he cooly handled an otherwise disruptive commotion.

To speak softly right in the middle of disruption, is not easy for most of us.  He disarmed the birth-order struggle as well as assisted the mother.  Is that his character or a learned behavior?

We find ourselves in these situations all the time:  work place, classroom, family gatherings, board meetings, and more.  We can't always grant specific requests, but we can ask questions to find out which seat is desired.  We know that asking the perfect question in a caring tone can often accomplish more than we could have imagined.

We are practicing!

Keep Looking Up!  and thank you for reading our blog.
J:m and L:nda