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than I expect, the bus is here.

The bus also has made me very aware of the everyday lives of everyday people. I've watched overburdened young women struggle onto the bus with too many little kids. I've watched drug-addled men and women weave their way down the aisle. I've been panhandled at Broad and Erie by people I know were headed for the next drink and by those who truly were hungry.

I've been invited to join in the conversations of total strangers who debated the state of life, love and the Zen of dog (low-down men) maintenance.

All this I will miss when I get back into the car, cursing the expressway or the long line of cars on Lincoln Drive.

I think, for the summer at least, I'll give the car (and those gasoline prices) a rest. When fall returns with its tight schedules and must-do lists, I'll get back behind the wheel of my car.

Until then, I'll continue to enjoy my SEPTA summer and the serendipity it offers.

Winter will be here soon enough.

Lucia Herndon's e-mail address is [email protected]
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