Sleeping On The Bus Ride Home...

It happens all the time. In fact, it happened to me yesterday.

I fell asleep on the bus ride home.

One of the reasons I enjoy riding the bus/train to/from work is to have that hour to an hour and a half of commute time each day to myself. I used to listen to audiobooks and podcasts, until I realized it was a perfect time to get some reading done. I've read a lot of books--both digital and authentic books with real pages--while someone else drives me to and from work.

However, over the years, and especially this past summer, I have found myself nodding off and waking up when the ride's over. I usually wake up well before the bus pulls into my stop, but a couple of weeks ago, I was out cold. The bus stopped and the door opened--that's when I finally woke up. In my mind, I thought we were still in SLC, but nope--it was where I needed to get out of the bus. I'm glad I woke up in time.

One of the reasons I get sleepy on the bus is because the bus I take home is parked all day in the parking lot just outside my building. And this summer, I've climb aboard a very warm bus.

Warm bus + working a 10-hour shift = sleepy me.

But I keep trying to read. I can tell early on if I'm going to be out for the count. If I start to get woozy before we've left the first stop, I just put my book away and give in. It's too hard to try and stay awake, especially when trying to read. It's a guarantee that I won't remember anything I've "read" while dozing off. It's just not worth the fight.

I don't know if, as summer turns to fall and temperatures begin to ebb, if my late afternoon commutes will result in me falling asleep. Yes, the bus will be cooler, but it's going to get darker and soon, I'll be catching the bus after the sun has set. I'm sure a darkened bus works well for sleeping, too.