so i got on the bus on my lunchbreak, and was going downtown, and as soon as i ge ton the bus this guy goes "don't i know you?"

i look at him, he is not the least bit familiar, but i meet a lot of people in my life, and generally don't remember people i have only met once.

"um, i'm not sure" i say, wanting to say no, but not wanting to be wrong.

"well, come here!" he says. i go and sit near him, an empty seat between us.

"would you like to say a prayer with me?"

"um, i'm not really a religious-" i manage to get out before he grabs my hands and starts praying in a soft voice that i can't really understand what he was saying.

the woman i was talking to at the stop and who got on with me looks at me, asking with her eyes if she should step in and save me.

i shrug.

the guy prays for a good three minutes, squeezing my hands while he does. i alternate between shutting my eyes to make him feel like this means something to me, and looking at the woman from the stop. i see my stop approaching, and i start wondering if i should tell him i need to go, or just miss my stop and let him finish.

thankfully, he finished about that time, and he asked if i wanted to say a prayer now too. i told him i had to go and got off at my stop, and had lunch.

normally, i hate when religious people, especially strangers, start preaching at me, but this was kinda sweet in a bizarre way, and it didn't involve a bunch of religion as politics, just a simple little prayerto brighten my day.

Maybe this was your Angel in America?

Shauslers thread freak me out... I hate those periods...

Anytime a stranger on a bus says "come here", it's not good news.

rdhull said:

god, i hope not, since the angel appears to a man on his death bed and makes him the herald of the apacolypse

sag10 said:

is there a "phobia" term for fear of punctuation?

cborgman said:

Oboy - they got to you - your starting to turn into the light.

AnotherLoverToo said:

yea, i was kinda on my guard. there are some crazy MFs on the bus

It's nice when somebody prays for you. That's so sweet. But if he was nuts then I would vacate the seat real fast.

luv4u said:

he had the crazy look, but it was a sweet thought, so i rolled with it.

interesting...

luv4u said:

Yeah, people who only seem to want to pray publically and loudly make me suspect there's a little ego and/or mental illness goin' on...

If people think I'm such a sad case that I need prayin' over, then great, thanks. But keep it to yourself.

madartista said:

go on...

Religious nuts! They're a dime a dozen, unfortunately.

cborgman said:

That's all...

<-- praying for cborgman's soul

althom said:

well, thank you... i think

althom said:

pray for his sanity too--good lord

Well at least you bowed your head in respect.

Nice gesture Chris...

rdhull said:

<--- praying for rd to give him a hint about the one star bandit

cborgman said:

Come over here and pray with me Chris.

sag10 said:

well, i'm not religious, but his intent seemed pure, and i know he was doing it out of kindness, and didn't seem to be pushing a political agenda the way most religious people i deal with seem to be, so it seemed like the right thing to do.

it was nice of him.

althom said:

not till you wash them hands.

cborgman said:

lol will u stop!

eee I think you got so lucky Chris. That sounds like something a nut would do right before killing somebody. I would have said at the beginning that I prefer to pray by myself as it's personal or something like that and then moved far away (preferably near the driver). Here's some info I found at the Lifetime website a while back: http://www.lifetimetv.com...s/bus.html

Traveling Safely on Public Transportation

Crimes take place regularly on mass transit vehicles. To protect yourself, it’s important to keep your guard up while going from point A to point B by following these tips:

» Minimize your time at subway or bus stops and you will be less of a target to assailants.
» Stay aware of your surroundings — don’t sleep, get absorbed in a book or use a Walkman while commuting.
» If possible, sit in the aisle seat so you’re not boxed in.
» Have your fare ready so you’re not fumbling through your purse or revealing extra money.
» Keep an eye on the behavior of others; if another passenger makes you feel uncomfortable, change seats or alert the driver or the conductor. Do not confront anyone directly.
» If someone becomes violent or threatens you, there are last-resort tactics you can use to protect yourself. Most public transportation vehicles have fire extinguishers onboard that you can use to spray at or swing at an assailant. Bus drivers often keep brooms around for cleaning — these too can be used as defense weapons.
» Many handheld self-defense products such as Mace, pepper spray and Tazer guns can be readily purchased. Each is easy to carry and can be attached to your key chain or placed in your purse.
» If you face an attacker armed with a gun, immediately take cover behind a seat or on the floor and out of the direct line of fire.

rdhull said:

pleeeeeeeeease?
i wanna know!

conch5184 said:

now i am terrified to ride the bus at all

cborgman said:

Well...if you have any other option it would probably be better to take that. There is a lot of crime on public transportation. If you have no choice, do be smart with the tips above and be able to protect yourself with pepper spray and/or self defense. [keeping a cell phone handy can't hurt either- God forbid it be necessary. You can get a cheap phone, a lot of places even give some less frills ones away with a plan, and get the minimum monthly minutes.]
[This message was edited Fri Jan 16 13:30:11 PST 2004 by conch5184]