He’s right. He’s totally right. That’s what I found myself thinking as I passed the one-hour mark on my commute into work. There had been some snowfall overnight and the roads were not really that bad, but all of the other drivers on the road during this busy time of morning were going so, so slow. And there was no where else to go. I started calculating how little time I would have to actually work before repeating the same trek back home and became even more frustrated. The cost of getting to your job is something that very people seem to take into consideration. Even fewer people do anything to change it.
Mr. Money Mustache is one of the blogs that has helped shape my new outlook on life. This blogger is all about making informed decisions rather than blindly following the herd. He retired at 32 years old because of his intelligent lifestyle design. Mr. Money Mustache consistently discourages the standard practice of buying expensive vehicles, commuting long distances for work, and never stopping to consider the long-term cost. The smarter option is to live close to work and commute via bicycle (even in the winter). As a result you save a considerable amount of money, leave less of a carbon footprint, and get your exercise.
Inching along and frustrated, I couldn’t help but think of Mr. Money Mustache’s teachings. What a waste of resources! This is just idiotic! As if yelling at myself would stir more than the realization, as if it would cause me to take some action. It was a feeling akin to finally realizing that you should have heeded your parents’ advice, but loathing to admit it. Because I haven’t made this change a priority just yet. I am pregnant, live 30 miles away from work, and it’s wintertime. While I know that there will always be excuses, this change seems too drastic right now. I want to start living differently and yes, my “hair is on fire” (immersed in a drastic financial situation where too much money is being spent while too much debt remains unpaid). But as of right now, I am trying to feel at least some satisfaction in the recognition that my commute is a costly and unintelligent arrangement. We will move closer to downtown in the next few years. In the meantime, I will work from home whenever possible.
Drifting back to the vehicles slowly slushing towards metropolis, I wonder if anyone else questions the absurdity of commuting. Or are they all just pre-programmed drones? Wake up, drive downtown, work all day, drive back to the suburbs . . . REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT. You can almost feel the tension emanating from the other drivers, completely absorbed in the anticipated consequences of their travel delays. There is a better way, whether they know it or not . . . there has to be one.
