Empty Seat On The Bus
I'm not a maniac, I promise. I may think many crazy things in my head from time to time but I have over the years developed an awareness to acknowledge the crazy and a self control to very rarely act out any of these thoughts.
I ride the bus during my morning and evening commutes. In the morning my bus tends to be empty when I board, then gradually fills up. I couldn't help notice the reaction I had when one morning someone sat next to me even though the bus was largely empty. In my own head I was feeling violated. I immediately started thinking to myself, "Why is this person sitting next to me with all these empty seats in abundance?" Huh? What's wrong with me? I started to think. Then it hit me, irrational as it is, the situation made all the difference. Whether the bus is crowded or not should not be relevant to my reaction to someone taking the seat next to me, but it was. When the bus is crowded and I am fortunate enough to have a seat, I have no problem with someone sitting next to me. In fact, I share in that person's relief when they can get the seat next to me on a crowded bus. So when I caught myself having the reaction I had that morning, at first I was disappointed in myself, then recognized the situation for being what it was.
I'm still trying to understand why I had this reaction. Moving forward I know I can diminish this response and eventually eliminate it. Heck, I may even put a sign in the empty seat encouraging someone to sit there.
#elliotyi
#paradigmleft
#habits
#mindset
I ride the bus during my morning and evening commutes. In the morning my bus tends to be empty when I board, then gradually fills up. I couldn't help notice the reaction I had when one morning someone sat next to me even though the bus was largely empty. In my own head I was feeling violated. I immediately started thinking to myself, "Why is this person sitting next to me with all these empty seats in abundance?" Huh? What's wrong with me? I started to think. Then it hit me, irrational as it is, the situation made all the difference. Whether the bus is crowded or not should not be relevant to my reaction to someone taking the seat next to me, but it was. When the bus is crowded and I am fortunate enough to have a seat, I have no problem with someone sitting next to me. In fact, I share in that person's relief when they can get the seat next to me on a crowded bus. So when I caught myself having the reaction I had that morning, at first I was disappointed in myself, then recognized the situation for being what it was.
I'm still trying to understand why I had this reaction. Moving forward I know I can diminish this response and eventually eliminate it. Heck, I may even put a sign in the empty seat encouraging someone to sit there.
#elliotyi
#paradigmleft
#habits
#mindset
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