Yesterday was my annual bus ride to a city west of Boston.  I know I’ve written about these annual trips before; what did I call that post?  Can’t find it.

Oh well.  Since this was a busy week, I planned to use my time on the Peter Pan bus catching 40 winks and writing today’s blog post.  It was going to be a snarky little post where I take down Uncle Bob a peg or two called “I Showed Him.”  In short, I was convinced he was jealous because I grew more pumpkins than he did and that was why he was telling everyone in town I had neglected my drooping dying sunflowers.  That’s what it sounded like when I saw one of Uncle Bob’s cronies at the Post Office.

“Your uncle wants you to take your sunflowers down.  He’s sick of them.”

Cut to the heart!

Instead, I spent the whole trip west yakking with my co-workers.

Then, on my trip back home, as the Peter Pan bus deftly darted in and out of the knotted (and insane) afternoon traffic on Route 495, I tried scratching out the blog post.  I had at least three opening paragraphs and lots of notes.  Scratch, scratch, scratch.  My notes included a plan to reference Uncle Bob watching Mayberry R.F.D. and then acting like a cross between sheriff Andy Taylor and Aunt Bee while supervising my garden clean up.

Despite my diligent scratching, it didn’t work.  When I finally made it home to Lisbon Falls and my head plunked the pillow, I tossed restlessly with the unsettled feeling of “what am I going to blog about tomorrow?”  I crossed my hands on my chest and catalogued the day, giving thanks for everything and everyone.  Things like the amazing skills of the Peter Pan bus driver, the likes of which I have NEVER seen before.  He tore up the road and found every bit of asphalt “running room” on that ugly stretch of highway.  The tangles at Route 3, Lawrence, and Lowell?  He was the Tom Brady of the pocket with no plans of relinquishing his title as King of the Road.  His driving prowess was so phenomenal, I had to shake his hand when I got off the bus and tell him my great appreciation for delivering us to Portsmouth unscathed and early!

Word to CEO Peter A. Picknelly.  Peter Pan is no Fung Wah.

Wah, wah, wah.

Grateful!  Still, sleep didn’t come and I started going through all the friends I saw yesterday.  The director who had hired me ten years ago, my first supervisor, my current boss, and my old bosses.

All friends.

Then there were all my other co-worker friends.  I’ve written about lots of them right here on this blog!  I’ll spare you the multiple links; just read My Cookie-Pierced Heart and you’ll get the general idea.  Add twenty or so friends who weren’t at the cookie swap and subtract Mr. Green Holiday Tie and you have a general idea of the affection that welled up in my heart as I thought back on yesterday.

Did I forget to mention the brief telephone conversation I had with my friend, Robin, who’s designing a new card for me?  It looks sort of like this.

I finally fell asleep, my prayers resting on the usual suspect.  Here I am laughing at a text he sent me on the trip home.

Lee Annie Leonie said it best when she gave me a big good-bye hug and we parted ways.

“Focus on the good.”

You know the next line.

I’m wiping a little tear from the corner of my eye right now.

So that’s what I’m going to do today, focus on the good.  And you know what?  It’s going to be a great day!

Wah, wah, wah!