My commute used to be a major source of frustration, bordering on angst, for me. I’m from Texas, where everyone owns a car. You drive your personal vehicle from the comfort of your own garage to the parking lot or parking garage of your desired destination. It’s easy. It’s a climate controlled experience, you make your own schedule and can temporally plan your trips. It’s a great system.
New York City, on the other hand, is a totally different beast. I actually live in New Jersey but work in Manhattan, as many people who live up here in the Northeast do. I choose one of (seemingly) countless combinations of public transport to get to and from work, which may include walking, biking, a local intracity trolley, two different systems of subway, and two different systems of bus. It took me months of trial and error (and plenty of costly last minute Lyft rides begrudgingly booked when the transportation gods were against me- I quickly learned that a $20 surcharge is added on for rides crossing the NY-NJ border, translating to a $50+ ride to cover a whopping 5 miles) to discover acceptable routes to work, and I still don’t think I’ve figured it out an entire year later.
All that being said, my hellish commute has actually taught me to be more flexible and fluid with plans, less uptight, and more able to improvise when things don’t go nearly as planned. I initially thought this change of mindset was a bad thing- that it signaled I was getting so burnt out from work and commuting and the craziness of it all that I was starting to just not care. But now that I think about it a bit more, I see that I’m just learning to go with the flow. I’m now less emotionally reactive to life’s speed bumps and more proactively reactive and can change course to avoid the potholes. (Speaking of potholes, new Jersey roads will teach you quickly either how to avoid them or how to fix your burst tire on the side of the road…)
What life frustrations have you guys experienced that turned out to be a blessing in disguise? I’d love to hear your stories!
RoxReels 