Lean on me

Public transportation is the main method of travel I have these days. Catching buses and trains to and from school, work and various other places of interest. Now living in the Northern suburbs of Sydney we live in a rather self contained community, you might even say gated since there is a bay and hilly terrain closing the area off from the other areas of Sydney. So the central form of public transportation are buses in my area. Bus lines run all day and all night to and from Manly (The main Ferry station of Northern Sydney) and the City.

Now the amount of time I've sat on Buses would be astronomical. Usually a bus is a quiet and solitary place with little noise. A place where 20+ people in close proximity will sit awkwardly silent trying to busy themselves until their stop. Its a common occurrence to get on a Bus leaving the city at 7pm to see the majority of the bus looking down onto their smart phones or iPods ignoring the world around them like some kind of routine prayer everyone participates in on their way home everyday. It's actually rather weird standing on a bus and looking around to see everyone face down starring at small boxes of plastic with their faces all lit up with an eerie white glow. I've also seen a fair share of strange and wonderful things happen on buses.

Fights
Racial Attacks and Slurs
Multiple Drunks
A Women Crying,
Windows Shatter,
Overhear a loud conversation about a Woman's UTI (Strange day)
People Vomiting and Defecating
People dressed in a absurd costumes
People talking to themselves
A guy in a business suit pick a fight with an Old man over a Seat
The Mentally Challenged Crazy Guy, Muzza (He's Awesome)
The Other Mentally Challenged Crazy Guy (Never found out his name)

These are just off the top of my head, Bus rides can be pretty interesting at times. But probably the most common thing you tend to see besides just regular people are people sleeping on buses. At all times of the day there at least one person asleep on the bus, whether they're a shift worker or if its 3 in the morning on the pumpkin bus home. There is at least one person dosing on the bus.

Back when I use work in Darling Harbour a few years ago my daily commute was 2 to 3 hours depending on traffic. It was a 45 to an Hour long Bus ride and a 20 minute walk from the Bus station across the Harbour. Suffice to say sometimes on the Bus trip back I would be pretty drained and would dose off. Usually I'd quickly claim a window seat and lean up against the filthy glass trying to reclaim some energy or vigor or whatever it is you gain from napping.

I do however remember one instance where I was completely wiped, I hadn't slept a full nights sleep the night before and I was done for the day and I just clocked out. I work up 50 minutes later having missed my stop, drooling from my mouth and leaning against the shoulder of a complete stranger. I know I had been cozying up to this older gentleman for the entire bus ride and I shakily apologized to him. He didn't seem to mind and continued on looking off into the distance. I guess he figured if he acknowledged the situation it would just make it more awkward.

But to that fine man on the bus, I still remember you to this day, I thank you for letting me use you as a pillow, I will never forget the comfort I found in your nice woolly brown overcoat sir. Thank you.

But asking around it isn't too uncommon for random strangers to lean on one another when they're out of their mind tired and need a nice warm shoulder to bunker down on. I guess it's always nice to see that you can rely on the kindness, tolerance or indifference of stranger when it comes to Bus naps.