The Commuter Dream & How I Learned to Let Go of it

When we were all eager little saplings in our final year of high school, most of us took a considerable amount of time debating on which university would lead us all to our happy little dreams. Commuting or moving out were two pretty big factors to consider. Should I move into a tin-can sized room and share a washroom with 20 other strangers and hope this magically creates a life long bond between us all, where we'd all move to New York City, live above our favorite bar and I could narrate the story of how I met my future wife? Or I could be the sleek and suave commuter, taking a really sexy mode of transportation, like the train! Well kids, this isn't the story of how I met your mother, this is the story of how I let go of the commuter dream.

What is the commuter dream you ask? Well it goes a little like this:
You wake up early in the morning, maybe 6 or 7am depending on how perfect you are. You are completely energized, ready for what the day has in store for you. You go for a run, you eat a breakfast so wholesome it makes Mother Teresa look like she operates a meth lab. You take a shower and dress; your outfit is the perfect balance between the utility needed to efficiently carry all your tickets and cards and the sleekness required to be a sexy commuter. You drive, you make the bus in time. In fact, the bus waits for you. The driver greets you with a smile, you take your seat. There's room for your backpack despite the unreasonably tight space that's supposed to be for your lower limbs. You sit back- maybe you nap, maybe you do some of your readings or maybe you make eye contact with another sexy, sleek commuter and serendipity takes over. Your comrade in sexy, sleek commuting becomes your sugar pie, honey bunch. Maybe this actually is the story of how I met your mother...

You don't look like this when you commute 

But I can tell you with all certainty that commuting is nothing like that. Most of the time it is smelly, literally. There's bus fumes, car fumes, Hamilton fumes (a whole other animal), and people fumes. Besides the smell, it can get incredibly boring.  You're either fortunate enough to fall asleep for 50 minutes straight (Like E, who has an internal napping clock) or you're playing bejewelled, hoping to Ghandi that the guy next to you doesn't ask to borrow your phone so he can call his Ma to pick him up (We'll teach you how to avoid that awkward situation specifically later on). And so, step one of becoming a good commuter, is to let go of the commuter dream. Some days you will roll out of bed and wear whatever is in a 50cm radius of you and barely make it to the bus. Other days will be better, and a few will be really good. We're here so you can make the best of it.

Peace , Love & Hamilton
-A