A bus load of party animals

What do you think it will look like? What animals will you choose to join the party?

Well, I imagined a troop of monkeys, a pride of lions, a gang of meerkats and a bunch of koalas, all loaded onto my party bus.

First of all, who do you think will be driving the bus? The Lions of course! They will be in charge, take the steering wheel and order everyone to the back. And yes, if you are not quick enough to get on (koalas, I’m looking at you), you can just as well stand there on the pavement and wait for the next bus. If there is a next bus. Not the lions’ problem. And yes, too many lions might just cause a terrible cat fight, as lions don’t like to share that spot behind the steering wheel! And who knows how many casualties there might be, even before the bus is switched on!

The Meerkats will be frantically checking everything. They will make sure everyone is there, has a valid ticket, are in the right seats, the GPS is set up and working, the bus has enough fuel, the food and drinks are loaded and the bus leaves on schedule. 

And, if the lions are still fighting on who’s driving, the meerkats might just stand there on the sideline, pointing out to the lions that the bus is 5 minutes behind schedule. And then they can’t understand why the lions all roar at them simultaneously.

But the ones who will enjoy the ride the most, are definitely the monkeys! They will be swinging from the bars attached to the roof, while uploading their music to play through the sound system as loud as possible. And hopefully there is a microphone in the front of the bus so they can karaoke along and drive everyone else crazy. Especially the meerkats, as the monkeys will start eating the snacks, even if the bus hasn’t even left the premises yet.

OK, let’s say the koalas make it onto the bus, where will they be? In the quietest section. Or the empty spot. They don’t want to cause trouble, definitely not looking for a fight. Least of all with the lions! They will rather stand than argue with whoever is in their allocated seat. So, I imagine they will be somewhere in the middle of the bus, as the front and back will be full of monkeys.

Having said that, the koalas may just make up a last-minute excuse not to go on this adventure at all. They might rather go home, curl up in bed with a good book or binge on a good Netflix series.

(Random fact: Did you know there is no collective noun for koalas, as they don’t move together in a group, they are fairly solitary creatures. Hhhmmmmm, says a lot, doesn’t it?)

As you can see, we need all types of people to make the world an interesting place, but also to get things done. And thank goodness for that! However, if we know and understand not only our own temperament, but our family members’ temperaments too, we will have so much more compassion and understanding for their needs and behaviour, so our families can grow stronger and stronger.

What will your family’s bus look like?