It was 2005, and my hubby, some friends and I had traveled through some dusty desert to reach the town of San Pedro de Atacama. It was HOT at around 100 degrees and my Alaskan temperament was starting to wear my energy and attitude down a little bit. I needed a boost so we get in cue for the only bus that heads north to the swimming hole on the way. The bus roared up the dirt street towards us, stops and turns off its engine. A dude dressed in a Spiderman costume unloads and walks towards the building to get the list of next passengers. Spiderman is the bus driver! What….?!!!
Spiderman loads us all up and launches into his spiel that’s all about superhero bus riding. He cranks up the music that’s kept on repeat: Sol y Lluvia a revolutionary era band from the 70’s that, at least on this bus, inspires your inner Chilean patriot. Loud and awesome. The next few trips prove to be just as brilliant, traveling with Zorro and Superman who are just as funny and in character as the day before and has the same music blaring out the open windows along the way. This guy was so happy doing his job! His enthusiasm for what he does was infectious and you couldn’t help but be tickled by his effort and originality. Something you’d never expect.
A few days later, we found out about a salt lake way into the desert that you had to get dropped along that bus route and walk for about a mile to find it. It happened to be Valentine’s Day when we got on the bus and it was filled with helium red heart balloons. Check out the outfit on the right. He took the heart off to see but he’d pop it back on for the routine stuff at stops. The music was Chilean love ballads. He stopped in the middle of nowhere, turned off the bus and got out for pictures with us, taking his time to explain the directions to us. Everyone looked on patiently amused, no rush! We headed into the trail-less desert with smiles.
What a gift this experience with the happiest bus driver ever was. I got onto that bus every time excited to see what the ride would be like and I felt so inspired about this simple thing, the value of surprises and the huge gift you give others when you pour enthusiasm and care into what you do every day. It’s a ripple effect, contagious and wonderful!