Introduction

At 7:16 this morning, I fretted about running late. I threw my backpack onto my shoulder, bundled up for the unusually chilly Phoenix weather (it was in the 50's!), and headed out the door. I stopped just long enough to give Craig a kiss goodbye, but turned down a hug for fear that this would occupy too much time. Taking the steps two at a time and cutting across the grass, I kept my eye on the pedestrian gate to make sure I still had some seconds to spare. My gate-key flew out of my jacket pocket and into the lock. With a turn of the key and a few steps forward, I arrived at the bus stop. About one minute later, the bus came around the bend and I was once again relieved to have success in my daily plan. Leaving my apartment at the same time that the bus is due to leave the previous major stop works perfectly.
“Back to work?” the bus driver inquired as I gently slipped my 30-day pass into the ticket machine. The bus driver and I made a minute or two of small talk before I headed to my seat. In my backpack, I usually have some knitting to work on or a book to read. However, today is my first day back to teaching after a restful 2-week winter break so I opted for taking the 25 minutes to get myself in focus and to enjoy the ride.