The brigher side of commuting

For the majority of my working life I have not had a commute. Until I moved at the end of last May I had been able to walk to work for years, and I confess that the convenience of living so near to the office was an overriding factor in not looking for another apartment even when I was less than satisfied where I was.

Since the move I have a daily fifteen-minute drive to and from the office. I've come to value this time as a way of easing into and transitioning out of work mode. I am not a morning person, so I appreciate the added minutes to get myself energized and ready to take on whatever awaits. On the other end, I like having a more definitive way of recognizing a break between the job's time and mine. It may be illusory--I have work I need to finish from home tonight yet--but I can feel a difference.

Living within a few minutes' walk to the office can be dangerous. It is easy to get dragged back to take care of things that may or may not be critical because of being nearby. The most important difference I've found, though, is that a little bit of physical distance also offers mental distance. Whether I knew it or not, being so close to work made it almost like I never left.

I know that everyone is supposed to hate the commute, but I enjoy having that brief time alone in the car. Granted, I have the flexibility to avoid the morning rush by leaving a little later and often dodge the late afternoon/early evening crush by ducking out just before it gets heaviest or hanging around an extra thirty to sixty minutes to stay out of the worst. The winter weather has not presented any nightmarish driving conditions so far.

Work has regained a few measures of sanity, but one of the outcomes is a sense of perpetual interruption. I feel pulled in several directions for the majority of the day and struggle to focus. (I may have to start closing my door more.) The commute has a calming effect, permitting me to enter into a bubble where it's just me and the radio or iPod with no other demands but the immediate task of operating the car.