My commute was about an hour each way this summer. From leaving my door to stepping into my office, I pass through 3 cities and 2 states/districts.
Some days, I feel like I go into a trance when I load myself an my messenger-bag onto my bike, taking the same swoops and turns on my way to the Metro, nodding to the same paper-hawkers and locking my bike in the same way. I march to the end of the platform and wait for the train, all without bringing my higher brain functions to bear. I transfer, pay, and walk to work without really ever waking up.
I will be a lot more internally-focused in my last week, because I finally replaced my iPod headphones and bought a Dr Who radio-play and a book on the public domain to occupy me. One way to mitigate secondary trauma is to organize a set time and way to transition away from work. Perhaps David Tennant’s dulcet tones will be my new method.
Inspirational Quote:
“The automobile, both a cause and an effect of this decentralization, is ideally suited for our vast landscape and our generally confused and contrary commuting patterns.”–Brock Yates
