Meet Me at the Corner!

Meet me on the corner when the lights are coming on,
And I'll be there, I promise I'll be there . . .
- Meet Me on the Corner, by Lindisfarne

There are days when timing is everything. This was one of them. . . .

The forecasters had been calling for a few inches of snow overnight Wednesday night. I prefer not to drive in snow, so I planned to take the bus to work Thursday. But when I got up Thursday morning, there was only a skiff of snow. Should I bother taking the bus? I checked the online weather forecast and it was calling for snow off and on throughout the day, so in the end, I did. 

But I admit I felt I a little silly for being so cautious. Taking the bus takes longer. Oh yes, it picks me up and puts me down at some places where there are plenty of things to see and do - and photograph - to be sure. (Which is to say, campus and its environs.)

But the trek to work, and home, involves two buses, one from home to campus, one from campus to the building off-campus where I work. The trip takes more than twice as long to bus it as it takes to drive it. I don't mind so much in the mornings, but when my work day is done, I like to get home pronto! Two beloved fur-faces are waiting for me there, counting the minutes until my return.

As I sat on the bus Thursday morning, I plotted and schemed. The roads in town were fine! I felt even sillier than before for taking the bus. What could I do to cheer myself up that would be fun? In the morning, the choices often come down to these two: breakfast, or sunrise? Hmm, breakfast or sunrise; breakfast or sunrise? More often, sunrise wins out.

The sun was starting to rise, but I saw a few big, billowing clouds on the horizon. My tummy grumbled. The heck with sunrise. Breakfast won out. And so I stayed on the bus until the downtown stops, and got off at the corner of College and Allen.

The Corner Room, shown in this photo, is one of the funnest local places to eat. It is a restaurant with lots of wood and leather; big old booths with places to hang your coat. Cool historical stuff abounds. The menu includes some delicious items. For lunch, I'm particularly fond of their French onion soup.  Let me just go ahead and link you to their menus so you can check them out for yourself.

The Corner Room also has one of the best breakfast deals in town. The early bird special (before 11 am on week days) is two eggs, toast with jelly or jam, and hash browns or home fries for $2.95. An unbeatable deal. And surprisingly quick.

So I went in and was seated at a booth overlooking College Ave.: one of the very best people-watching locations in town. I placed my order, and as I sat looking out the window, just enjoying the view, a huge blizzard blew up. Suddenly, it was a total whiteout! People ran scurrying everywhere, to get out of the blinding snowstorm!

Meanwhile, I got to sit inside in comfort, eating hot and delicious food, watching it snow. Absolutely delightful!  If I'd chosen the sunrise on this morning, I wouldn't have gotten it anyway. And even better . . . if it snowed all day, I wouldn't care because I didn't have to drive; after all, I'd taken the bus! Suddenly, all of my choices felt just right.

Twenty minutes later (yes, I told you they were fast; and so am I, especially when I'm eating alone), I ate the very last bite of strawberry jam on toast, stood up, paid my bill, left a tip, bundled up warmly, and walked outside. Just then, the snow stopped. Fantastico! I walked briskly up the hill, caught the next bus (which arrived two or three minutes after I did), and went to work.

Now, one of the reasons why I was stewing over the whole bus thing in the morning is that I had a meeting late in the afternoon that I just knew would keep me from catching the early bus home. And if there's one thing I hate, it's getting home late. There are weeks and weeks of winter time when I barely get to see my house in daylight. I didn't want this to be one of them.

The early bus delivers me home around 5 pm; the later bus, around 6 pm, which is just about dark these days. To get the early bus, I have to be on campus around 4:19 to catch it. But my last meeting was scheduled to end at 4. Catching the early bus just wouldn't be possible.

Well, the day went on, and my last meeting arrived. Fewer people than usual showed up; we were less chatty than we sometimes are; we got everything done that I had hoped for; and we ended about five minutes early. I looked at the clock when I arrived back in my office: 3:56. Hmm, could I do it? Could I catch the early bus after all?

I checked the local bus Web site, which provides very detailed information about which buses will arrive where, when. It said that the next bus from my building to campus would leave at 4:03. Could I do it? I sure could try!

I zipped around - turning off my computer, packing it in my bag, throwing on about five layers of clothes all at once. I practically flew down the stairs with my boot laces untied; there would be time for fixing all of that on the bus.

The bus to campus arrived about one minute after I did: 4:04. The ride to where I catch my next bus on campus takes about 15 minutes. (I usually try to give myself at least a half-hour, to allow some wiggle room, as the buses sometimes run a bit late.) My bus to home would be leaving from behind the library at 4:19. Could we make it? We sure could try!

But the bus driver, God bless him, was one of the most polite and placid fellows I've ever seen. He slowed down to let other buses pass him; he let cars go by; he actually STOPPED THE BUS to let students cross the road, even when they weren't in cross-walks. Who has ever seen or even heard of such a polite bus driver!? Not me!

I felt like I was pushing with my toes: faster, faster! And the bus zoomed around campus, arriving at its drop-off point, across from the next bus's pick-up point, at 4:19 exactly. I leaped off the bus, ran across the road, and one minute later, my bus to home arrived. I almost did a fist-pump: HOORAY!!!!

My husband, expecting me home at 6, was delighted and surprised by my arrival home at 5. I told him the story of my day, and we laughed at my good fortune: how I spent the entire blizzard indoors having a hot breakfast; how I managed to catch the earlier bus, after I expected not to. A day of good timing, on all fronts.

And my husband managed to put it all in perspective for me. He listened to my stories and then knit his brow and said, "You know there are days when the timing is all off and you don't get what you want. Well, the next time that happens to you, here is what this day gave you: just look back and remember . . . sometimes it goes the other way too."

In honor of TWO cases of good timing that bookended my day, here are two tunes to accompany this image. First is the band Lindisfarne, with the song Meet Me on the Corner. And second is the Rolling Stones with one of my all-time favorites, You Can't Always Get What You Want.

You can't always get what you want,
But if you try sometimes, you find . . .
You get what you need.
- You Can't Always Get What You Want, by the Rolling Stones