Friday, January 29, 2010

Driving to work

Today marked the end of my four-month long experiment with driving to work. And to be honest, there are a few things that I'm going to miss about it. I'm going to miss being able to stay in the office late and not have to worry about walking to the train or how long the wait is going to be. I'm going to miss being able to drive somewhere straight after work without having to work out the logistics of going home to get my car. Most of all, I'm going to miss not really having to worry about how comfortable my shoes are to walk in or whether my outfit is appropriate for the weather.

But as a whole, I'm not going to miss driving that much. I'm looking forward to not being stressed out about traffic and not having to fill up my gas tank every few days. I'm looking forward to being able to go places after work without having to figure out the parking logistics. I'm looking forward to walking a bit more.

More than anything though, I'm looking forward to what I'm going to get back. In the last four months, I've managed to finish approximately four books, because instead of spending my commuting time reading, I've been spending it sitting in traffic, listening to the radio. So I'm really looking forward to the quiet time with my books. It's been sorely missed.


Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Resolutions

I'm sure I've said it before, but I'm not really one for making New Year's resolutions. Don't get me wrong: I understand the desire to change the way we do things, and starting over with a clean slate, and the symbolism associated with a new year, a new month, a new week, or even a new day. But for me, deciding to make changes has almost nothing to do with starting a new calendar.

Adding to the problem is that my desire for change is not necessarily focused on any one particular thing. I'm almost always trying to do better or to be better in so many facets of my life -- diet, exercise, finances, relationships -- and I fear that focusing on just one area might throw everything else off balance.

So no resolutions or promises from me this year. Instead, I'll just keep trying.