Commuting Through Life

Commuting through life. 

 My husband commuted between Frisco and downtown Dallas for over twenty years utilizing public transit. Although, he did not have to make the drive himself, he did spend over two hours a day on the road. Luckily, his commute has been shortened greatly since we have moved.

Recently, while reading the book, Messy-The Power Of Disorder to Transform Our Lives, by Tim Hartford,  I was intrigued by what he wrote about the repetitiveness of commuting. 

“...many of us are commuters and even the repetitiveness of the daily commute illustrates the power of randomness to unstick us when we don’t even know we’re stuck.”

It seems we may go through each day pretty much the same, and even more sad we may repeat the same year over and over. Just like that  familiar commute we don’t even realize that we are stuck, and should move on. 

 Hartford writes about a public transit strike in London that forced commuters to find a new way to work. Their problem solving skills and creativity were challenged as they searched for new ways to make the journey. 

Ironically, after the strike some of the commuters continued to use their new found way to work. Hartford writes, “All they needed was an unexpected shock to force them to seek out something better.”

As Hartford reminds us sometimes “the power of randomness” can benefit us in making changes that will improve the overall quality of our life. As easy as it is to remain the same, pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone shakes up our inclination to commute through life. 

Don’t assume that just because you’ve always done something one way, that there might not be a better way. Perhaps it’s time for a transit strike to force a much needed change in your life.