Oh To Be A Kid Again

“The wheels on the bus go round and round,

round and round, round and round,

the wheels on the bus go round and round,

all through the town.”

I’m guessing you just sang that and you didn’t say it. Am I right?

Can you picture yourself on an airport bus taking you from your car to the terminal where you will be dropped off for your flight? There are some businessmen on your bus and a family beginning a vacation joins you.

One little girl enthusiastically climbs the steps, eyes her seat, and sits down. She was absolutely ready to be taken to her airplane. Her enthusiasm was contagious and I’m pretty sure all of us, including the serious businessmen looking at their phones, smiled as she joined us.

After we left the parking lot and began to pick up speed, this girl spontaneously began to sing the very famous “wheels on the bus” song. At first, her mom tried to stop her, but you know what happened, right? We all joined in. I have never had such a delightful bus ride from the parking lot to the terminal in all my 28 years at DFW airport.

Oh, to be like her! To be fully present in the moment! To be openly enthusiastic and able to express internal joy without worrying about being censored by the people around her!

I think I have internally hummed this song every time I’ve been in one of those buses since this enjoyable encounter. Will I ever be brave enough to sing out loud?

(“The Wheels on the Bus” is an American folk song written by Verna Hills and published in 1939.)