How can someone drive a coach for a living? I can understand how people can drive NYC buses; they have lots of stopping and starting, and while that's stressful, it certainly keeps you awake!
Those drives from New Paltz to Manhattan are only 80 miles of smooth sailing, yet they take a lot out of me. I often arrive home exhausted. It's hard for me to concentrate that long. My mind tends to drift. I find myself looking around to see how the leaves look or to notice for the first time some derelict building that's rotting away, just off the road. But the Trailways drivers who take me to and from Manhattan four days a week... They're amazing. They never take their eyes off the road, and they (almost) never have side conversations. They just drive. And if I had to do that day after day, it would just drive me crazy.
Some people have difficulty paying attention to one thing. If this is serious enough, it can get labeled as Attention Deficit Disorder. But these coach drivers must be tested. The company has to look for people who can focus on one thing for hours on end. They need people who suffer from Attention Surplus Disorder.
You heard it here first!
5/8/07 update: OK, maybe you didn't hear it here first. I googled 'attention surplus disorder' and got 676 hits. The phrase has been along for at least five years. You heard it here 677th!
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