I was driving home this afternoon and it took me 33 minutes to get from the mall to my house.
33 minutes!!!!!!!!!
Please bear in mind that I left at 3:30 ish, there were parking problems (the machine was swallowing my money so I had to go to centre management. The manager there asked the security guard to check the machine to see if it had, in fact, swallowed my money, so I told her, "I'm not very happy that you're accusing me of lying for R9!" She looked taken aback and told the other girl to just let me out. Hell!) but I got out of there at 3:40.
So here's what I was thinking in the traffic.
1. I can't believe there's traffic this early!!!! What happened to 4:30 ish?
2. How is it that other people find it okay to sit in this crazy traffic day after day? Is there something wrong with me? I can't BEAR it!
Is it that I like to be productive too much? I was about half way home and I was thinking OH MY WORD, still so far to go.
First job - I took a bus to work.
Second job - I still took a bus to work. I lived on the bus route and my work was also on the bus route. So I literally walked 2 minutes in the morning and the bus dropped me at my building. Afternoons were the same story (even more buses than in the mornting).
Actual commute 20 - 25 minutes but I read on the bus so I was happy as Larry :)
I did that happily for 5 years and then got my licence when I wanted a new job because I realised I didn't want to be stuck choosing a company on the bus route again!
Third job - I had the car and the licence but the company was 15 minutes away, maybe 20 in severe traffic :)
Happy for five years.
Fourth Job - Secret Company was an HOUR away (I'd interviewed at another building) and I told them I didn't want their job. No kidding. The recruitment agent begged me to reconsider and said the magic words... "they're moving to ______ in two months". It turned out to be 3 months but still. I endured that long commute for 3 months. Torture!
This business of leaving 5 minutes later and being 20 minutes late is for the birds.
I was happy, happy, happy when they moved and I then had a 20 - 25 minute commute again for the next 9 years.
And now I've started to think about driving again as I verrrrrrry slowly dip my toes onto the job websites.
Do I just rule out everything more than 30 minutes away? I WANT TO!
But seriously people who travel far every day, help me to readjust my attitude! How do you make it okay in your head?
I'm just not sure thousands of rands is worth sitting in the traffic :) :)
And then 3, it's quite sad when it THRILLS me if I let someone into the flow of traffic (which doesn't happen in CT!) and they actually thank me. I am delighted!
Tell me your traffic stories!
Feel sorry for me I have to drive and take and fetch hubby to and from work every day! And next year they are moving somewhere far east, I have no idea what I am going to do! It actually isn't so bad, there is just this one section that is bad. So if you prepare yourself mentally to get through that part (and Brett feeds Nicky bananas then) I guess we make the most of it.
ReplyDeleteI have a long commute, on a good day it's 45 minutes, most days it's closer to an hour but it has taken much much longer if the weather is bad. Anyway, at first I thought I'd die it was horrible, I have road rage and the stress made me exhausted when I finally did make it home. Then I started listening to audio books, and I still have days where I hate it and it is still not my first choice but it's bearable. I listen to a lot of fluff in the car some books I want to hold in my hand and read in my own voice but there are lots that I don't mind others reading to me. It helps me keep up with my Goodreads goal, I currently spend most of my time outside of the car studying so it's nice that I feel like I can still get some reading done.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same about traffic, I hate it! That's why I feel so fortunate to be able to work from home.
ReplyDeleteUntil the Gautrain my commute was always at least 1 hour on a good day and on a bad day 1.5-2hours one way to do a 30km drive!! Should not take more than 30 mins but you get used to it- kind of!!!! That's why I'm so grateful I can use the train which has reduced my driving time to about 15 mins each way and I get about a 1 to 1.2km walk in each day.
ReplyDeleteThis happens when you stay at home! I used to drive from Pretoria to Joburg CBD every day for over a year. Now my morning drop off takes me 15 minutes - that includes walking Jack into his class, unstrapping Emma and strapping her back in!
ReplyDeleteWhen I have to go to Joburg in the morning or to Fourways - I cry! Real tears! I can not cope AT ALL!
I think I am totally spoiled - work, home and school are all in a 6km radius. Hubby though does the Gautrain thing - which makes way more sense than going to work by car. On the odd day he has to got o work by car I know he will be late
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping in via pink Ronnie's blog and leaving a lovely comment. I had a giggle about your traffic driving to work problem. I think the best commute for me was a 40min train ride to work and I got on the train (the end of the line so the train was there at the station when you got there) and started reading novels. Therefore I had a seat and read and didn't have to worry about traffic. Then at another time I was 10 minute drive from work but about 5-7 Kim's from work we used to "rat run" drive through the suburbs and miss the traffic lights and all the traffic. Then from there I moved to Melbourne and my unit was exactly 2kms from home to work. This 2kms was one main road straight ahead ie no turning off and this 2km to work on one road to me 30mins in normal traffic. It drove me crazy because how could 2kms take 30 mins and back in Brisbane I lived further from work but it took a third of the time. My advice is make use of your time ie train or bus and read, do work or surf the net and relax rather than drive. Petrol or bus/train money probably evens out in the end. Ps I have the core desired feelings workbook also but due to outside issues with the ex that I mentioned it's hard to focus on nicer things at the moment I have a battle on my hands. Anyway thanks for taking the time to comment. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane
ReplyDeleteTraffic used to drive me potty. For six years I worked in a place that would take about 40minutes to get to (even if it was a 10minute drive outside peak hours). Then for 6 months I used the train to a new job. That running for the Gautrain thing left me upset every day because I still had to spend 30 minutes driving home and sometimes it took 30 minutes to get out the station.
ReplyDeleteGave it all up for a quieter, less corporate job that is six kms away from home and the day care with morning going the wrong way to major traffic and I finish early to avoid traffic.
If all plans fail: I have some really great CD's that keep me going.
For 5 years we travelled from the Westrand to Sandton. For two of those years with poor Liam..leaving at the crack of dawn, home when it was almost dark. Our commute was just under an hour either way. Now we live 14 kms from work, and to me its like "up the road." I've kinda accepted that the majority of Joburgers are spending a fair amount of time in traffic, the fortunate minority live close to their work place, work from home, have flexi hours, etc.. I must say it doesn't bother me as much as it used to. I go in early and leave early to avoid serious traffic, this helps.
ReplyDeleteWell as you know I spend a serious amount of time in traffic. I drop Kade at school around 07h00 in the morning (when I get up on time) and I get to work at around 08h30. That's an hour and a half in the morning (on a good day with no accidents etc) and I leave work at around 5h30pm and get home around 6h20 or so - so another hour give or take. For me, it just is what it is. I listen to the radio, allow myself some thinking time and well actually I kind of zone out and just drive to and from on auto pilot most days.
ReplyDeleteI don't have the luxury of working from home, and also working close to home is not really an option as I don't have any businesses close to home to apply to... I also need to earn my salary for us to live as a household so I don't actually have a choice. Sit in traffic I must!
I don’t particularly enjoy traffic but I have found that one can make it work for you. Traffic is usually catch-up time for the kids and I. We talk. We listen to music. I have considered audio books but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. I don’t sit in traffic for too long – from the point of leaving home to dropping Son2 to dropping Son1 to driving to the office takes me 40 minutes. I guess if you don’t have a choice then you just deal with it and make it work for you. Also. This is why changing jobs is an issue. Working close to home has spoilt me. I can’t go back.
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