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As Time Goes By
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Phillip Hong
October 12, 2010 |
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Friends: When was the last time you had said something was a waste of your time?
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Have you ever been frustrated to the brink of physical altercation for something
as simple as traffic on the expressway?
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How many times within the past working week have you sworn, cursed or insulted
anyone either mentally or through your vocal chords because you believe they
were a waste of your time?
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Friends, this proves that you need to calm down.
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I don't intend to cause any offense in making that statement, but it seems that
everyone has such a quick, hurried definition of time that there seems to be
none left to savour the moment. Any moment.
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Contrary to popular belief, no one is out there with the sinister intention of
actually wasting your precious living moments as a busy human. Contrary to your
definition of time in your commute, transit agencies and slower drivers aren't
betting on your punctual demise. But it certainly seems like it, and I don't
blame you.
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I spent my high school years on the run - out on a bus before sunrise, still on
a bus after sundown. And much of my time has been spent in waste, if I am to
ever follow the definitions of many in this hectic metropolis.
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I recently returned to a major stop in my former commute - the somewhat old
Newmarket GO Bus Terminal - a product of suburban magic opened more than a couple
decades ago. In its heyday, it served Greyhound buses in addition to several
GO routes that had a vehicle depart at least once every ten minutes.
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The small town I headed to for secondary education was far and infrequent in
transit terms, so I spent hours sitting in a waiting room, waiting to transfer to
a waiting bus. The waits weren't really too bad, but I'm not as impatient as
some.
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If I missed a bus, I had to wait for two hours.
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If I had an extracurricular activity, I had to wait two extra hours after the
activity had ended before I saw the sight of a bus.
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Much of this waiting was spent in the snow, and or in the dark.
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At its heyday, and if my schedule matched the provincial government's assigned
timetables, I would get my ticket punched and be on my way to the south of
York Region. I spent many a day here and many a night, from as early as 6 in
the morning till 11 in the night - without ever noticing.
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What has kept me from physical altercation with our hard working mobile
public servants?
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Patience. I was going to get there come rain or shine, and if there were
problems with time management I would adjust accordingly so there was less stress.
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Ten more minutes of your day, friends, is beneficial if it's the difference
between potential unprovoked violence and a fair amount of satisfaction.
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Phillip Hong, a resident within suburban Toronto, is a constant tourist. Check
out the interesting experiences of his journeys on The Travelling
Briefcase.
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