Spine of the City

In the last six years I've lived in four distinct DC neighborhoods. For the last year I've lived in North Columbia Heights and have had the opportunity to fall in love with this city all over again. I live among a community of people, and we have all found our own path to my neighborhood. Some have lived here for years, for their entire life. Others have come and left behind horrible places. Others stuggle here to make ends meet. Still others see this as a first step to independence and the "American dream" whatever that is anymore.

I work in a land of science but I live in this wonderful world of human interaction. I don't get to comment on it in my daily life, I only get to anticipate policy issues people may raise with scientific fact.

The time I spend on the bus, traveling up and down this spine of the city, is my time that I get to observe, feel compassion, anger, frustration, calmness, and interact with my neighbors and fellow DCites.

Everyone is on their way somewhere. We all sit (stand) together on the bus to get there. Who knows where this will go, but my goal is mainly to comment upon the beautiful people I interact with along 14th Street NW.

I need to tell people about...

...the bus driver I had last week who waited for me at my stop because I couldn't run in my shoes. They were flats, but not run-able. She smiled as I boarded and said "good morning."

...the sweet children who ride daily to school with their siblings/cousins/friends and take care of each other.

...the crazy dude who about cracked open the emergency exit when we were stuck in traffic, instead of going to the front of the bus. Before he about cracked it open, he asked the guy sitting under it to cover his head so he wouldn't get covered in glass. We told him to go to the front, and it really seemed like he just hadn't thought of it!