On Friday March 28, 1947, at 6:55 A.M., Bronx bus driver William Cimillo got into his bus to start his daily route. But then something happened. He decided to take a crazy leap. Fed up with New York traffic, Cimillo decided he'd had enough. Instead of sticking with his daily routine, he headed his bus south, going nowhere in particular. He stopped in New Jersey for a bite to eat, and parked in front of the White House and took a look around D.C.

Three days later, he was in Hollywood, Florida, where he stopped for a nighttime swim. Cimillo was totally free … and strapped for cash. He telegrammed his boss in New York, asking for $50, and that's when the cops showed up. Two New York detectives and a mechanic were sent to fetch the runaway driver and his bright red bus, but according to Cimillo, the mechanic couldn't really drive the bus, so they had Cimillo drive them back to New York. And when they arrived, William Cimillo discovered he'd become a legend. People across the country sent him fan mail, newspapers portrayed him as a working-class hero, and his bus-driving buddies raised enough cash to cover his legal expenses.

Realizing they were the bad guys here, the Surface Transportation System decided not to prosecute. In fact, they gave Cimillo his job back. For the rest of his life, Cimillo never pulled any more wild stunts. Instead, he kept on driving that bus for 16 more years before finally passing away in 1975. Those three crazy days in 1947 were more than enough adventure for William Cimillo. Asked why he did it, the busman would explain: "This New York traffic gets you. It's like driving in a squirrel cage." He was also quoted as saying that he just "wanted to get away from everything."

Possible Preaching Angles: New Year's Day; Problems; Pressure; Stress; Difficulties; Jobs—Do you ever feel like you the stress is too much and you just want to get away and start a fresh life somewhere else? There's a better way—trust the Lord, take a Sabbath, be faithful to your tasks, and so forth.