It was the end of summer vacation. School had started but a few girls from the class begged for a last hurrah.

“Let’s go swimming the pool’s open till Friday” one girl whispered and the idea took hold.

The planning began. One mother would drive there one mother would pick up; there were only eight girls. One mother involved then came up with the idea. “Let’s get Simon to take the girls straight to the pool after school.” Simon is the school bus driver who can sometimes get kind of grouchy overwhelmed from picking up and dropping off vanloads of laughing girls who often also fight over seats.

All the mothers agreed it was a great idea. And Simon agreed for only 15 shekel a girl.

So that Wednesday came and the girls crowded into the already crowded van.

One mother was waiting at a stop to escort the girls on their trip. She got on the van Simon rushing even her and sat down right behind Simon the driver.

Simon kept on his dark sunglasses staring straight ahead. His only movement every so often was to open the door to let off another girl on the regular route.

It’s a hard job being a school van driver rushing in the heat and the cold to get everyone on time to school and everyone back home.

Jumping girls and forgotten bags frantic waving running late or having to wait. The responsibility for 30 Jewish children of 30 worried Jewish mothers with cell phones.

Simon looked like he had probably served in the army at some point in his life because he knew how to keep that unnerved look on his face but sometimes you could hear the strain in his voice

The girls didn’t know whether to like him or to hate him because behind those black glasses and the loud reprimands there was a hint of “our favorite van driver.”

Sometimes it’s these people in a child’s day who make or break it for them.

The kind or mean driver. The patient or scary janitor. The understanding nurse.

Simon drops off the last girl on the regular route and continues on down the road.

“Where exactly are we going” he asks the mother in an aggravated voice.

“Straight” she says “to theJerusalemforest.”

“The pool’s in the forest?” he asks like there can’t be such a thing because he’s never heard of it.

“In the forest” the mother says while showing him where to turn.

Simon turns into the forest and right there a few feet ahead on the side is a little marker with an arrow with the name of the pool.

Suddenly Simon relaxes.

“You’re taking all these girls to the pool to have fun in the middle of the week?” Simon asks out of character.

“Yes” the mother and all the girls who had heard the question chime in.

Right there and then Simon smiles the biggest smile and then actually transforms before everyone’s eyes into one of the nicest most joyous people on earth.

He pushes his black sunglasses onto the top of his head and looks out at theJerusalemforest with eyes of a carefree child. As if he himself were now free to take this trip in the middle of the week just to have fun to be allowed to enjoy and relax.

The rest of the ride was like a dream driving through the forest of tall pine trees with the last of the summer sun shining through them.

Simon quiet and happy. The girls excited.

This is a new year. A chance to get out of our grouchy routines. Find new paths Serve G-d with joy. And the joy is so close within every Jew within split seconds a whole new face a whole new reality

Like the two sides of Simon.