I have a 45-minute commute to work. There is one other person who lives in town that works in the same school district as I do, and this week we have been driving together. A large part of this decision is how much gas it takes to drive 70 miles a day and the fact that it costs $8- $10 a day.I am finding that this arrangement is more difficult for my personality than I had expected. I have been used to having 45 minutes at the beginning and end of my work day to think, listen to the radio, listen to audiobooks-- but not to talk. Now there is someone next to me that I don't want to ignore, but only because it would be impolite. It has been interesting to talk to Bob (not bob), but talking and listening for that long is a stretch for me. I can act interested in what he says-- be interested, actually-- but then he eventually stops talking and I feel the need to fill the silence. But with what? I don't want to keep whining about the start of school. I don't want to be one of those people who never stops talking about their kids (despite what you might think after surveying my blog). Bah. Maybe Tuesday I'll just ask him if he's ever heard of Robin Hobb. Or sew my mouth shut.
7 comments:
Awkward moments are such fun. Are you sure he wouldn't mind you reading or keeping to yourself? Maybe he wants to do the exact same thing.
Been there, done that (90 mile round trip before I moved).
I was liftsharing with someone to split the costs (I did all the driving).
Luckily, most of the time the other person was happy to sleep, or listen to the radio with me. Neither of us felt the need to be talking all the time!
Put on a tinfoil hat, Mater, and tell him all must be silent whilst ye listen for Alien Transmissions.
Or bring along a book on tape and ask him if he'd like to listen.
It will probably be better as we settle in. And he can't drive with me every day anyway because he teaches music lessons after school on some days, so I will have built in solitude breaks. I'm thinking of knitting when he drives; my niece wants a "magic scarf" for Christmas and 1.5 hours of knittng goes a long way.
Failing that, I'll keep tin foil in my bag.
What makes a scarf Magic?
www.magicscarf.com
It is a tube that stretches so that it can be a tube, a cowl, a hood, or even a tube top or a dress.
I know exactly what you are talking about. I often drive long distances, usually by myself. It is inefficient and hardly green. But I find it irks me to drive with casual freinds. I like that time to listen to my music, often loud, to contemplate the color in the sky and the everchanging clouds, or at night the swoop of glowing red taillights, and the usually graceful dance of cars and trucks on the highway.
Chatter is an annoyance though I DO like to talk and I DO like those with whom I occasionally travel.
Post a Comment