..the 300s #003..

I rode the bus to the gym today. It’s quite a silly thing to do, really. The YMCA is not that far away, although it is all uphill. Everything is uphill here. My mom said that it is so, so it must be true. On occasion I ride the bus to the gym. When I do this, it is usually in order to save time, which never happens. Today, I rode the bus so as not to get all sweaty before the appointed time. Riding the bus seems to be a silent activity for most people here in Jerusalem. Everyone is quiet and no one looks happy. I usually have my headphones on and have gone away to whatever world the “shuffle songs” function takes me. My Workout Buddy (the small iPod) is mostly full of songs conducive to long stints on the elliptical machine. These songs often make me smile or laugh or tap my feet or bob my head. And, I do all of these things on the bus in the midst of the quiet, unhappy bus people. Often I wish they could hear what I hear at the level of quality that I’m hearing it. I am convinced that it would redeem their bus ride, maybe even their day. I want them to be happy. I want them to smile at me and not scowl. Jerusalem is a hard town to live in. As a foreigner I have many frustrations about how difficult and inefficient almost every task is. As citizens, the unhappy, bus people probably have frustrations about how difficult it is to simply exist. Everyone is fighting, trying to not be taken advantage of. Meanwhile, everyone is trying to take advantage of everyone else. Even if Israel had no enemies, I think its citizens would still fight each other.