Something New: Week 16 – A New Commute
by Ranil on Jul.05, 2009
Someone once pointed out that going to work wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. I can tell you though I’ll take lying on a beach somewhere and sipping on a cold beer over hopping on a train to North Sydney any day. After my many months of travelling, drinking, sleeping in, and watching my bank account do crazy roller coaster ups and downs I head back to the working force. I trade T shirts and boardshorts for button up shirts and slacks; reading books for reading code; boarding planes and taking photos for boarding trains and a paycheck.
I’m not used to taking a train. I miss the traffic jams and the solitude that comes with driving in to work. I miss the ability to smoke to kill time. Rather than fight other cars you fight the crowd and old ladies (who love to push you out of the way) for a decent place to stand (or sit). You all sway as the train lurches along. But as the train heads over the Sydney Harbour Bridge you do find a sense of appreciation at not being the one in the drivers seat. In the end though, I’d still take a LA commute anytime.
I traded in a cubicle for a shared desk and good friends for strangers. Was it worth it? I think the adventure was but as more time sets in I come to miss what I left. It’s not easy finding a group of people (especially co-workers) that you enjoy being around. A group of people who actually make coming to work worthwhile.
So I’ll do this bit for a while. I’ll hop on that train in the morning and catch it back at night until my restlessness becomes unbearable and I head out again. Because sometimes even going back isn’t necessarily a step backwards. Sometimes, it’s just about going home.
