Observation

Yesterday, I rode the bus to the Captain's house. It took me about forty-five minutes, including a transfer. Given that it can take me up to thirty minutes driving, I'd say the bus wasn't that bad.

What made it interesting, though, is that I saw more minorities on my bus than I have just about anywhere else, at least outside an organized "students of color" event. The truth was startling. It made me wonder, Where do I hang out, that it's taken me three years to see more than three minorities in one place at one time? Who are my friends? Where do we work? As much as I wanted to think that the United States is a prosperous nation that's become more and more egalitarian, the reality is that there is a color to money.

And then it occurred to me: these people I ride the bus with, they probably do it everyday. It's not some fun eco-experiment/lovers' bet that they're trying. They have to take the bus. They depend on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to deliver them to work and to school so they can provide for their families. If a bus breaks down or is late, that can have heavy consequences.

That truth startled me even more.