Since having decided to be more eco-friendly, I have started taking a university shuttle to work. This also works out to be an option that is pocket friendly for me and that I think is the real reason even though I wouldn't want to admit it. Driving to work was definitely not a right decision, as I had to drive more, park far away and walk even further and add one more car to the milieu that was entering the university and its adjacent area. However, not having to back calculate when I would have to leave home and walk to the bus stop was easier for the lazier me.
Also, I think there was a sense of familiarity in driving. For the last 2 years, I had driven my ex- husband to his office before parking and walking to lab. So it was difficult initially to change a routine that I had gotten so used to. Many things had changed in life and this was one of those things that could stay the same to provide my brain with some sort of familiarity I decided. So I kept on driving. Then one day my extreme laziness really took over me with a little help from logic. I realized that if I took the shuttle, I had to walk less, drive less to fill gas and also not have to walk into a fully-baked car when it was in the 90's outside and eventually get baked too. So Miss LAZY won. And I started taking the shuttle.
Taking the shuttle was fun. I could read Sherlock Holmes from a free app downloaded on my smartphone sitting at the bus stop. I could read even more as I went up the hill because I wasn't driving. I didn't have to worry about insane drivers cutting in front of me without signaling as they all had a meeting to attend at 8.45 am. I just needed to ask him to stop in front of the Medical Research Building so that I could hop, skip and jump into my building.
Taking the shuttle back home was even better. I just needed to get out of the building and wait for a couple of minutes. And I always made sure I took the last one on the route-returning back home was faster- a mere 5 minutes; and these days the shuttle driver knew where I wanted to get dropped off. Yes, not at the bus stop but a little further down at the crossing so that I could just take a few steps to press the walk button. I didn't have to tell him anything. We had started talking since mostly I would be the last one to get dropped off- we talked about not having to make extra stops when the shuttle was off the route, how an accident was waiting to happen before the university would realize that they needed to install a traffic light at a major junction- and in all this he did not know my name. Nor did I ever ask him his. It seemed normal that he would expect me at one of those stops in front of our building and drop me off near the bakery.
But today was different. There was someone new who was driving the last shuttle on the route. My shuttle driver was not there. This guy took a longer route back home even though he was off route. He drove faster but he still took a longer route. When I asked him if he would drop me off near the bakery which happened to be near the intersection, he said it was safer to get off at the stop and walk the one minute down. I got off. I was irritated- safe, what? I get dropped off at that corner everyday- I felt like letting him know that he drove down a route which he needn't have. I wanted to tell him that he took extra minutes in changing the sign that said that the bus was off route. He was doing everything wrong - where was my shuttle driver? Where was ...I didn't know his name! But somehow he and I were on the same page about finishing work and returning home as fast as we could. I had to come back home to my parents..who was he going back to.. his wife, his girlfriend or may be to no one? And that is when I realized my familiarity had been breached again.
Also, I think there was a sense of familiarity in driving. For the last 2 years, I had driven my ex- husband to his office before parking and walking to lab. So it was difficult initially to change a routine that I had gotten so used to. Many things had changed in life and this was one of those things that could stay the same to provide my brain with some sort of familiarity I decided. So I kept on driving. Then one day my extreme laziness really took over me with a little help from logic. I realized that if I took the shuttle, I had to walk less, drive less to fill gas and also not have to walk into a fully-baked car when it was in the 90's outside and eventually get baked too. So Miss LAZY won. And I started taking the shuttle.
Taking the shuttle was fun. I could read Sherlock Holmes from a free app downloaded on my smartphone sitting at the bus stop. I could read even more as I went up the hill because I wasn't driving. I didn't have to worry about insane drivers cutting in front of me without signaling as they all had a meeting to attend at 8.45 am. I just needed to ask him to stop in front of the Medical Research Building so that I could hop, skip and jump into my building.
Taking the shuttle back home was even better. I just needed to get out of the building and wait for a couple of minutes. And I always made sure I took the last one on the route-returning back home was faster- a mere 5 minutes; and these days the shuttle driver knew where I wanted to get dropped off. Yes, not at the bus stop but a little further down at the crossing so that I could just take a few steps to press the walk button. I didn't have to tell him anything. We had started talking since mostly I would be the last one to get dropped off- we talked about not having to make extra stops when the shuttle was off the route, how an accident was waiting to happen before the university would realize that they needed to install a traffic light at a major junction- and in all this he did not know my name. Nor did I ever ask him his. It seemed normal that he would expect me at one of those stops in front of our building and drop me off near the bakery.
But today was different. There was someone new who was driving the last shuttle on the route. My shuttle driver was not there. This guy took a longer route back home even though he was off route. He drove faster but he still took a longer route. When I asked him if he would drop me off near the bakery which happened to be near the intersection, he said it was safer to get off at the stop and walk the one minute down. I got off. I was irritated- safe, what? I get dropped off at that corner everyday- I felt like letting him know that he drove down a route which he needn't have. I wanted to tell him that he took extra minutes in changing the sign that said that the bus was off route. He was doing everything wrong - where was my shuttle driver? Where was ...I didn't know his name! But somehow he and I were on the same page about finishing work and returning home as fast as we could. I had to come back home to my parents..who was he going back to.. his wife, his girlfriend or may be to no one? And that is when I realized my familiarity had been breached again.
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