Small Town Hermit

This post will likely be short because I had a busy day and I need to unwind, but I wanted to wave to the new subscribers and say thank you and prove to myself that I can keep up this practice while I resume working … and commuting.

I have been extremely fortunate to have always had a short commute (at least in terms of mileage — leaving at the wrong moment can make a short distance commute a long time commute), and while I worked from home for almost four years, I didn’t have to drive at all. Today I started a temporary position which will hopefully teach me some helpful skills and lead to more permanent and lucrative endeavors.

For the first time in about four years I actually had to be up, dressed, lunch packed and out the door by a certain time, and what does the weather do but snow. Snow! Okay, so spring snow is not uncommon, and it was only a little snow, but still. Snow! Complete with cold and wind. The wind was actually more of an issue than the snow.

I got to experience firsthand what the articles and statistics have been saying about driving during the pandemic — there may be less traffic congestion, but people’s driving habits have deteriorated further, so driving is actually more dangerous. On a highway with a speed limit of 65 miles per hour, drivers chose 60 or 80+. That much of a differential creates risk Someone pulled out right in front of me and was fortunate that my brakes work. Then there was some object flapping about on the highway which I couldn’t avoid completely without driving off the road, but I didn’t find any damage.

Nevertheless, the commute was not as stressful or as dangerous as I expected, probably because there wasn’t much congestion. The trip only took about five minutes more this morning than it did yesterday morning with very few people on the road.

I survived my commute and the first day on the job. I was up early enough to write Morning Pages, and I got home early enough to still go for a walk. There are a few other daily disciplines I need to check off before I turn in for the night, but I am putting today in the win column.

Happy Monday!