I like living within a 20-minute walk to the office. But there are a few aspects of commuting to work that I miss. One of them, the most important one, is how much more I used to read. Of course, that was before smartphones existed or were as popular and capable as they are nowadays.
Every morning, I would grab my book before leaving home and walk towards the first bus stop, excited to continue reading. Often, I would just start reading right there while waiting for the bus. There were many transfers, so I’d have to get off the bus at the metro station, then change to another metro, then to a train, and sometimes to another bus. All these pauses were annoying, mostly because I had to pause my reading. At the end of the day, I didn’t dread the two-hour trip home but looked forward to reading once again.
It was hard to keep the book without showing signs of wear after many trips like that. Many times I had to hold it by the top part with one hand, supported by my body while standing in the packed train. Other times I would carry it under my sweaty armpits during transfers. Thinking now, I have probably read more pages in my life standing rather than sitting or lying down.
I remember a couple of times when I had to stop at the final station and sit down to read the last couple of pages before walking into the office. I miss that feeling of “no matter what, I have something exciting to read.” It was so formative for me that, still to this day, the moments I read the most are during train rides and plane trips, or whenever I have some time to spare. Reading at home mostly occurs on Saturday and Sunday mornings, or late at night when I go to bed with hyperfocus and want to gear down.