Well, you know, from what you’ve said so far, I think I understand where you’re coming from. Not exactly, maybe, but a pretty fair idea. What I don’t see though, is where you’re going. Me, I always keep my eyes on the road, I always want to see what’s in front of me, what’s coming at me. I need to be on top of the situation at all times. I don’t like surprises. Now, that doesn’t mean I can forget where I’m coming from, not at all, that’s important too. But, push comes to shove, I think I’ll always believe that what’s in front is more important than what’s behind.No, no, of course not! But I didn’t say that. Sure you have to be aware of what’s happened in the past. It’s just that once something’s in the past you can use your brain and decide what to hold on to and what to let go of. This isn’t an option when something’s right in front of you. You’re never really sure of what’s going to happen until it happens. And when it’s happening you want to be there or else you’ll never know for sure.
OK, look. Did you notice that eighteen-wheeler we just passed a few blocks back? No? Well, let me tell you, when that sucker’s in front of me I really got to pay attention. Those eighteen-wheelers spend most of their time out on the interstates, so when they find themselves cramped on these small slow roads sometimes they get a little cranky, might cut you off making a wide swing left for a right turn, you never know. And when a big truck like that’s involved you don’t want to take any chances. Anyways, I like to put them behind me when I can. Now, once I’ve passed it like I did just now, I don’t forget about it, I know it’s still back there and I keep that fact in my mind. But as soon as I notice that it’s not behind me anymore then it’s like it never existed. When you stop and think about it, most things in life are like that.
Well, you’re right about that. It is different for kids, because they’re still learning. They need to hold a lot more of the past in their heads so they can start to recognize the patterns. Eventually, though, kids stop needing to be thinking all the time about how B follows A, it just will. It will become one of the facts of life, another part of reality. B will follow A just like summer follows spring.
Now, patterns, that’s a whole business by itself. My business, in fact. My job here is all about patterns. When I’m driving my route, I’m weaving a pattern in the fabric of time and space. And they know it too, they know it! Why else would they call it a shuttle. Hell, they even got a space shuttle. It’s heavy, you just got to stop and think.
What, were you born yesterday? A shuttle! A shuttle is what you weave with, it carries the weft-thread through the warp. You get it now? We got the same thing goin’ on right here, only instead of carrying thread through thread this shuttle carries people through space and time. Makes for a whole lot more interesting pattern, I think.
Hey, you know, you’re right! I never thought of it quite like that before. It is kind of like music. The way everybody who rides the bus is integrating their patterns is definitely an arrangement, so why not a musical one. I guess the route would be the melody then, huh? That’s righteous!
This your stop? Alright, you too. Watch your step.