I forgot how great it is to take the bus!
I got to read a chapter of my book and I felt more bad-ass bundled up outside than the Hummer guy who was driving past my stop, in the comfort of his toasty vehicle.
This makes me think: taking the bus actually makes me enjoy the idea of commuting much more than driving or even biking (!) does. Now I'm not knocking bicycle commuting because I'm actually a big proponent (just see how many posts I have on biking). My only issue with biking is the same thing that I love about it. Biking, like driving, puts you in control of your vehicle, which also makes you part of traffic. It's so easy to be part of the rush rather than separating yourself from it when you have to pay attention to what you're doing.
The unique thing about mass transit is that it let's you take a break. You can fully enjoy the ride without the stress that comes from commanding your vehicle. It's a mode that makes you dependent on someone else's abilities while you just simply receive the service. You also have more opportunity to learn patience and promptness...something that the immediacy of getting into a car or (less so for) hopping on a bike doesn't really do for me.
My thought is to replace driving with bussing as much as possible this winter... and replacing bussing with biking. That way I can view my car as a long-distance/special occasion sort of thing.
2 comments:
Great post, Tricia! I completely agree. I've been pretty wimpy about riding this week because of cold but taking the bus is a fantastic replacement. I love catching up on my reading, I can't believe more people don't elect to do it.
Several years ago I had a commute that was 1.5 hours each way and I could have driven it in just over an hour but I would have been stuck in stop and go traffic the entire time and been stressed out and hateful.
Instead I "slugged" part of the way (Northern Virginia informal free carpooling) and took the metro for an hour through DC into Maryland. In little over a week I was able to read Dostoyevsky's Demons, something I would never have the time for if I was driving.
Thanks Lolly! Sometimes we have to ask ourselves "what are we actually doing with the time that we supposedly 'save' getting somewhere faster?" (not something I made up... came from the book I'm reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle)
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