Blog #145: Traffic

I drive a Chevy Malibu, and if you're not familiar with her, her name is the Mal Pal. The Mal Pal and I have been spending a considerable amount of time together as of late, due to the fact that my commute home is always about twice as long as my commute to work, due to the intense rush hour traffic.

When I say intense, I mean intense. The picture below is the best it looked for probably 85% of my trip. In this time I crept along at a mere 10mph, if I was even moving at all.

Some people really hate the traffic, but if I'm being quite honest, I don't mind it that much.

First of all, it's a very mindless thing to do after a long day of work. There's nobody to talk to, no task to finish, no email to read. I find it almost meditative, to inch along the highway and not have to pay much attention or do much of anything. The monotony allows me to get lost in my thoughts for a good 1-1.5 hours, or even get lost in a state of near thoughtlessness, both of which I think are nice at times.

Additionally, sitting in traffic makes for the perfect dance break after work. I've always loved dancing as a physical and literal way to shake off the stress of the day, and sitting alone in my car with the music loud is the perfect time to do this. Most of the time I find myself doing it involuntarily, and I'm telling you, I really let loose. From bouncing around in my seat to obnoxious steering wheel drumming, or even the occasional point and wink to the people staring from the car next to me, I'm sure I'm a pretty entertaining person to sit next to while stuck in traffic. And hey, if my traffic dancing makes it a little easier for somebody else to sit through traffic, so be it.

P.S. If you are ever in a jam, a traffic jam that is ;), I highly recommend Walk the Moon's "Quesadilla" for a perfect dance break.Thank me later.