“Every problem has a gift for you in its hands as my man Richard Bach says. You can choose to see the curse or the gift. And this one choice will determine if your life is a success story or one big soap opera.”

Bus 11 driver Joy, who once felt as negative toward her life as George does his, now shares positive energy with everyone on her bus. She knows George has great potential and needs a dose of the “blunt truth.” Her first lesson is that a person’s attitude determines how much success they will have in solving life’s problems.

“You’re the one with the failing marriage. You’re the one who is about to get fired, who now doesn’t even have a car to drive to work and can’t even put on your own shoes. You’re the one living a soap opera.”

Staring at himself in the mirror, George realizes he’s looking right at the source of his troubles. Somehow, it’s his responsibility, and not random fate, to put things right.

“Every one of us got challenges. Everyone who comes on this bus has problems. Some got marriage problems, health problems, family problems, work problems, and some got all kinds of problems. It’s part of life and I’m just another person on the bus who’s got another problem.”

Joy takes care of her father, who lives at an Alzheimer’s facility, on Tuesdays. He can’t remember anything anymore, not even his own daughter. Joy tells George that everyone, even cheerful people like herself, has burdens. It’s not the problem itself but how we respond to it that matters.