The Tribune

By BIANCA CARTER

Most people think that power comes in some sort of big boom of light; a giant roll of thunder, something huge and substantial is needed to create this giant of a word – power. Truth is, power comes in all shapes and sizes, and it doesn’t have to be a giant affair of sorts, but a small gesture of kindness and truth can have the same effect on a person’s life as all the power in a strike of lightning.

There’s this underlying feeling that it’s not worth it unless power shows its force in a major big way for all to see. Go big or go home. Yes, that’s the ego talking. But the most memorable forms of power come, and hold the most significance, in the smallest of actions.

I was at the optometrist’s office the other day, and while waiting for my turn I picked up a popular magazine, albeit a very outdated edition, and began to flip through it.

I came across a short story by popular American author Elizabeth Gilbert. She wrote the best-seller “Eat, Pray, Love.”

In this story she recounts a bus ride in the city of New York. She describes a tension in the bus amongst the passengers: fear, anger, depression and negative energy was displayed on their faces. I’m sure everyone who boarded the bus felt it and adopted it. No one was smiling. No one dared to speak a word. Isn’t it easy to reflect on one’s life and look at all the negative issues surrounding it? We all have our set of problems, no matter how perfect it looks like from the outside.

I continued with Gilbert’s story. After a short while of silence and apparent tension so thick you could probably cut it with a butter knife, the bus driver decided to speak over the intercom: “Folks, I know you’ve had a bad day and you’re frustrated. I can’t do anything about the weather or traffic, but here’s what I can do. As each one of you gets off the bus, I will reach out my hand to you. As you walk by, drop your troubles into the palm of my hand, okay? Don’t take your problems home to your families tonight – just leave ‘em with me. My route goes right by the Hudson River, and when I drive by there later, I’ll open the window and throw your troubles in the water. Sound good?”

Can you imagine how powerful those words were to those people on the bus having a bad day? I probably don’t need to tell you how those words changed the air on the bus, how many smiles were cracked or tears streamed down faces. Haven’t we all needed to hear similar words before?

The bus driver didn’t fix their problems, cure cancer or find the solution to world peace. He simply spoke from his heart and offered his many passengers some light in a very dark world.

If only for a few moments, we offered this kind of love, understanding, support and light to the people around us, the world would light up together. Hope would catch on like the plague, and people would realise that other people care. So if you need this bus driver in your life, tear this story out and hold it dear, reflect on it when you need to, and before going home tonight, be sure to stop off and throw those troubles in the ocean. What the world needs are more people willing to light it up. Now that’s power.

Love and hugs!

• Bianca Carter is a certified lactation counsellor and founder of Bun in the Oven. For more information, e-mail her at info@babybunintheoven.com. Follow BITO on Facebook at babybunintheoven, and check out the BITO Blog every Monday and Thursday at http://babybunintheoven.com.

Source: O Magazine, May 2016 Issue, “May we help you?” by Elizabeth Gilbert.