Taking bus

[grommet]

On another bus now. Short trip I have taken before. Driver is very nice.

 

[Mary Terry]

On another bus now. Short trip I have taken before. Driver is very nice.

I'm so glad you are getting out on your own. The world is wide and life is short. You'll soon get so used to bus trips, that you won't give it a second thought or get stressed out. Unmedicated mentally ill people are everywhere so beware people who seem weird or "off" to you. Congratulations on a major accomplishment!

 

[grommet]

I'm so glad you are getting out on your own. The world is wide and life is short. You'll soon get so used to bus trips, that you won't give it a second thought or get stressed out. Unmedicated mentally ill people are everywhere so beware people who seem weird or "off" to you. Congratulations on a major accomplishment!

Thank you

I do not know if I will get used to it. I hope it keeps getting easier. The bus yesterday was from a transit system I have not ridden before and to a place I had not been. I am so ashamed that I stopped speaking while in public. It is one of my biggest fears and it happened. The woman was nice about it though.

Tomottow I have plans to take another bus again. I have not taken it to the place I am going and I am pretty convinced I will get lost when I get off the bus. I am worried about that. But my leg band for holding my iPhone arrived and I used it today. It is wonderful to have its help and right there where I can see it. It is becoming so important to me I wish I could afford to buy a second one just in case anything ever happens to the one I have. I like to have back ups but they are very expensive.

There is a world I have not been able to access, technology is helping. People are also helping me a lot.

 

[grommet]

I'm so glad you are getting out on your own. The world is wide and life is short. You'll soon get so used to bus trips, that you won't give it a second thought or get stressed out. Unmedicated mentally ill people are everywhere so beware people who seem weird or "off" to you. Congratulations on a major accomplishment!

A few years ago a man I did not know started talking to me while I was walking on a sidewalk. I did not say anything to him. He got very angry and started shouting at me. I worried about getting in trouble for starting a disturbance so when I got home I called the police to ask about it.

The officer told me I did not have to speak to someone if I do not want to. So I keep that in mind, that I do not have to speak to anyone. It helps me to know that because sometimes strangers talk to me and I never want to talk to them. A few years ago I did talk to a man who acted very friendly. He was nice. We spoke for about 15 minutes and he seemed interested in the same things that I was. Then he asked me if I wanted to have sex.

I was upset for a long time because I did not realize he was not sincere when he was being so friendly and saying we had common interests. He was not rude to ask, it must be how you meet people, I guess, but he was dishonest pretending one thing while meaning to do another. It frightened me quite badly that I did not detect he was being deceitful. Although he was friendly and certainly did not mean harm, I realized with a start, that I was vulnerable to being fooled. I was especially wary of talking to people who came up to me for a long while after.

 

[Aspychata]

This is a lot that you are doing. It takes guts to get out there and tackle new areas and transit system and random sometimes, strange people. So a lot of different things at once. When you freeze up, what overwhelmed you? Maybe if the unknown pops up again, maybe deep breathing and count to 10. Bus drivers are notorious for being in a rush and maintaining staying on time on their routes. So don't take it personally. I chatted up with one lady who drove bus in LA, she had all kinds of stories to tell me. Also as a last resort, have a taxi phone number and some emergency money just encase you are stranded anywhere. You know you have a way to get home should an emergency arise. This may give you a little more confidence. Plan B should Plan A fail. I felt l was out with you on your excursion, sometimes l want to hide in my apartment. So l am glad you are getting out, seeing new things, passionate about life!

 

[Aspychata]

Had a experience where a man probably off his meds became vocally abusive and yelled some stuff at me. What was more offensive was the bus driver didn't say anything but then maybe she was thinking the male may have a weapon and may use it if provoked. I told him to take meds, l didn't want to appear as a total pushover but you walk a thin line when dealing with the unknown on a public bus. You really don't know who is riding that day. So you don't have to talk to anybody, if you feel unsafe, go into a shop, and wait until you feel better. And you can always pretend to talk to your boyfriend if somebody is harassing you. Sometimes that works.

 

[grommet]

Had a experience where a man probably off his meds became vocally abusive and yelled some stuff at me. What was more offensive was the bus driver didn't say anything but then maybe she was thinking the male may have a weapon and may use it if provoked. I told him to take meds, l didn't want to appear as a total pushover but you walk a thin line when dealing with the unknown on a public bus. You really don't know who is riding that day. So you don't have to talk to anybody, if you feel unsafe, go into a shop, and wait until you feel better. And you can always pretend to talk to your boyfriend if somebody is harassing you. Sometimes that works.

Thank you for that very good advice. I have a girlfriend but I think it would be the same.

 

[Mary Terry]

A few years ago a man I did not know started talking to me while I was walking on a sidewalk. I did not say anything to him. He got very angry and started shouting at me. I worried about getting in trouble for starting a disturbance so when I got home I called the police to ask about it.

The officer told me I did not have to speak to someone if I do not want to. So I keep that in mind, that I do not have to speak to anyone. It helps me to know that because sometimes strangers talk to me and I never want to talk to them. A few years ago I did talk to a man who acted very friendly. He was nice. We spoke for about 15 minutes and he seemed interested in the same things that I was. Then he asked me if I wanted to have sex.

I was upset for a long time because I did not realize he was not sincere when he was being so friendly and saying we had common interests. He was not rude to ask, it must be how you meet people, I guess, but he was dishonest pretending one thing while meaning to do another. It frightened me quite badly that I did not detect he was being deceitful. Although he was friendly and certainly did not mean harm, I realized with a start, that I was vulnerable to being fooled. I was especially wary of talking to people who came up to me for a long while after.

People like that are scary to me. I know that they are not rational so we cannot reason with them or talk them into calmness like we can with other people. I try to never make eye contact with them and never respond to anything they say. Sometimes I've told them 'no hablo Englise' (I don't speak English).

Probably smart to be suspicious of everyone at the bus stop and avoid getting into protracted conversations with them. You just never know who those people really are. The guy who asked you for sex was a predator, IMO.

 

[grommet]

I cannot talk/socialize right now. I appreciate people writing to me. I will respond as soon as I can. I finished the card. The card is the same size as a credit or bank card and can fit in a wallet. I have scanned it:

Front:

Back: (I will cover with my thumb the word that is not the answer)

 

[Aspychata]

Great- it's easy to read!

 

[grommet]

Alternate front of card, fewer words: