Bus full of potential

Yesterday I remembered a child's book I used to read to the little people in my life. A boy went through the day collecting things that hop ... a grasshopper, a pogo stick, a handful of Mexican jumping beans ....

Bus 7 was full of Mexican jumping beans yesterday afternoon. No sooner had they piled on at the grade school four people dashed back inside to get forgotten items ... a math book, mittens and stocking hat, a hat for dance class ....

Was there a full moon last night? *checks calendar* No, that was last week. Oh! That explains last week.

We started on our way. Glancing in the rear view mirror I saw B holding J by the front of his coat with one hand and jabbing at him with the sharp end of his pencil. Threatening ... he wasn't actually poking him. I confiscated the pencil.

Next there were a couple boys teasing D. "Bite our fingers!" D was sitting in the corner of his seat with big sister between him and the boys. They took turns pointing a finger at him and then jumped back just in time to escape the snarling, snapping boy turned dog.

We are barreling down a state hwy ... I yell back and have big sister bring D up to the front seat.
D is going to day care today.
I told him, "You can't bite on the bus."
He says, "I won't tell the lady at day care I was biting."
I ask, "What about your teacher? I'm sure she tells you, 'Don't bite.' "
"If we bite at school we have to sit on a red chair."

I wish I had a red chair on the bus. When D gets off at day care he proudly tells me he is going to be five soon. He has a birthday coming up. Okaaay....

After all that when I check the rear view mirror again C is squeezing J's face. When I call back to ask, "What's going on?"
everyone has suddenly gone deaf. They can't hear a word I'm saying. C comes to the front of the bus when I motion him to come up.
"You guys are bouncing around like a bunch of Mexican jumping beans. Please don't pinch J's face like that!"
C nods agreeably.
"Please don't pinch anyone. Keep your hands off everyone!"
Vigorous nodding.
I let him go back to his seat.
I am so slow sometimes. Now it finally hits me. What was J doing back there to aggravate those guys? He got off scot free.
There is never an exact duplicate of students on the next day. There is always opportunity to look like a dweeb when you drive a school bus. I know that by now.

I love this quote ....
"We are sometimes made aware of a kindness long passed, and realize that there have been times when our friends' thoughts of us were of so pure and lofty a character that they passed over us like the winds of heaven unnoticed; when they treat us not as what we were, but as what we aspired to be." HENRY DAVID THOREAU

Kudos to Russell (my bus driver in grade school)