The Pleasures of Commuting

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I know, I know - most people think commuting must be so tedious. But, I must confess... I REALLY like it. Here's why:

• Beauty: we're so fortunate to live in the Berkshires, surrounded by beauty at every turn. Each day, I drive past breathtaking scenery, and watch the changing of the seasons. (My drive is along either Route 7 or Route 8 North.) Keeping a camera in my purse means I'm always ready to pull over and capture a bucolic scene.
• Solitude: so many of us spend all our waking moments in the company of other people - at home, at work, in the community - that there are only rare occasions when we can be alone to think, plan, figure things out, etc. Commuting is the perfect time to do any of these things.
• Edification: in the Making the Most of a Commute post, I wrote about listening to books on CD during my drive. I absolutely love this. In fact, most often, I can't wait to get back into the car to hear the latest installment of the current novel.
• Practice: yup - I sometimes talk to myself in the car. If I have to make a public presentation, I actually run through it on my drive. I make sure my talk will be within its time limits, that my speech outline is coherent, etc. Fortunately, there are long stretches during the drive with no other vehicles around!