We have the best school bus driver for our elementary school. You can tell he loves the kids, which, as parents, makes us love him. He has fun at his job. On Fridays, we can hear the bus coming down the street -- he lets the kids yell when they go around a corner. He uses the loudspeaker to call out happy birthday to a child, by name. He tells them to keep their rooms clean and listen to their parents as they get off the bus ... and he's always smiling.
My youngest child is not one to reach out to people. He will keep his jacket zipped to the neck and his hood up over his head as a way to cocoon himself. Over the past week or so I've been noticing that when our bus driver says hello and good-bye to him each day, Gage is responding! This morning, I stepped onto the bus to tell the driver how much I appreciate his efforts, and that it was surprising -- but in a good way -- because Gage won't always respond. Our bus driver said it had taken him about 27 attempts at making a fist bump with him before he would bump back, and that now Gage sort of "leans in" and bumps him with his shoulder when he gets on the bus; his way of saying hello.
When I told our driver how unusual this was, he thanked me for sharing with him; I could tell I had made his day as much as he had made mine.
Connecting with someone does not always come easily, naturally or quickly. Sometimes one person will have to work much harder than the other to make anything happen. Sometimes the response may seem small when it is really HUGE. Is it worth the effort? That's up to you. What you say and do can and does impact others in ways you may never know.
In our case, Jeff, our bus driver has helped my son open up and enjoy riding the school bus; Gage would rather do this than be driven in the car. Thanks to Jeff's efforts, that bus has become a comfortable, safe place to be, and I am grateful for that.
Pay attention to how you feel when you are around different people. Are there some in your life that cause you to put up your guard? Who makes you feel comfortable? What are you doing in return?Do you know why?
|
