The Elegant Turn
Have you ever stood or walked by a moving bus? It’s enormous, powerful, and scary.
A turning bus? Even more so.
I experience a lot of calmness from this photo. This snapshot of a city junction reveals a lot more than you’d think, if you are willing to spend a few more seconds to ponder.
The stop light for the bus just turned red. The driver, however, decides to make the turn anyway. In this frame frozen in time, we see the bus elegantly making a turn. There’s nothing special about turning buses, but the ever so slightly turned wheels, and the angular position of this gigantic, mobile box makes me stare at it in admiration. In our multi-dimensional, ever moving “real” world, this very moment is pretty mundane. It’s just another bus that turned at an intersection! Here, though, I marvel at the swing of this bus. The driver has made up his mind, and is turning already to save at least a couple of precious minutes. He is looking in the mirror, backing his own decision and making sure he’s in the clear.
Did you notice the reflection of the building in the giant windshield?
The man across the street has already started walking. The “red hand” will probably turn into a “walking man” any second now, but he’d rather not wait. He’s also wearing pink gloves which is an unusual color for gloves, irrespective of gender. So cool though!
And guess what? There’s space available for lease in the building facing us! Do you ever look that high up when you are standing at an intersection?
Do you observe and absorb what’s around you? Or do the millions of thoughts racing through your mind never let you be aware of your surroundings?
It’s only now I contemplate – not then. At that moment, I am sure I had lots of random thoughts in my head that stole my focus from this very moment. Not everything is lost though! I have this photo to relive that moment – observe and absorb. These photographic moments teach me to be mindful, aware, and appreciate what’s around me.
A few more observations (and fun facts) from this moment: The “Sportworks” sticker at the front bottom of the bus reveals that the bike rack is made by a company of the same name in Woodinville, WA, close to Seattle. Apparently, they designed the industry’s first “Bike-Rack-for-Buses“in 1993. Also, notice the five orange lights on top of the bus? They are meant to increase visibility of buses. The front lights turn on when the bus moves forward to warn pedestrians and cyclists.