I’m on the express bus home and there is one space left between myself and an elderly gentleman with a cane. He settles into his hard plastic seat, places his earbuds and before the bus can go three blocks down the street, he’s leaning toward me with an America’s Got Talent clip pulled up on his phone. He points at the girl trapeze artist, chuckling a bit, then points loosely at me. There’s an upward intonation in the non-English words that are coming out of his mouth and amidst my glaces from the phone to his black rimmed glasses, I begin to make out that he may think that woman is me.

This is now the second time on Muni I’ve been asked if I’m a C-Grade Celebrity outside the one-off comments of resembling Anna Kendrick (I’ll take it), Sarah Silverman (I’ll leave it), or Audrey Hepburn (marry me). I’m flattered, really, so I smile, ambiguously nod and proceed to side-glance for the duration of the bus ride to see if this man’s routine includes reality TV clips or if he really was trying to identify me. The earbuds are put away, his eyes close, and he naps.

In another transit stories, my co-workers and I headed to an off-site last week. Whisked away for whine, whimsy and other wh-whords, whe whomen (a stretch…) played a game called “Loaded Questions” the hour-trip there and back. One question, everyone submits an answer, the guesser must pair a response to its owner. This was harder than it seems. You think someone’s favorite dog breed is a Mutt but in fact it’s a Corgi. Being that I’ve been in a perpetual state of stink-eye lately in the workplace, I thought I could fly under the radar with some of responses. Sure enough, my colleague and friend who I work closest with got me every time. Responses were read, we’d share a chuckle and she’d slowly call me out on my witticism or slightly-off painted picture. Conversely, I could pretty much always guess her casual and warm responses that speak to her contented simplicity.

It was wildly refreshing to be seen well and to know well. With eyes down (or more like straight ahead at a dual screen), I wasn’t looking out. Friendships are one of the most beautiful things and especially at work, it’s easy to take these relationships for granted in the hustle and bustle of promotions, projects and office politics. But hop on a bus with girls you both know well and are developing new friendships with and you learn (or re-learn, rather) what it truly means to notice. Notice the people around you whom you spend 40+ hours a week with. Notice yourself and how you are professionally, personally and how you choose to blend the two. Notice how every situation in life is an opportunity to connect in some way that may help find a bit of truth, laughter of even mistaken celebrity identity.

Two bus rides were just the wake up call  I needed to clear the heads-down in a head-fog state I’ve made a habit of for a little while now. I haven’t quite been showing up and out into the world as I know I can and it’s funny how this stylish elderly man reminded me that even on days I don’t feel like a high-flying artist extraordinaire, I can be one.