Anyone who lives in the southern part of the state knows that more and more, commuting is part of the New Hampshire experience. We're spending more time in our cars, some of us a lot more.
Today is the start of Drive and Ambition, an occasional series on commuting on New Hampshire Public Radio. You can be part of this series. We'll tell you how in just a moment.
But first, over the next few months, we'll be bringing you stories from the road. Today, we hear the views of Matt Frye, a 28-year-old who teaches sports like kayaking and skiing to people with disabilities. Commuting put Matt in touch with an unexpected side of his personality.
I am the stereotypical public radio listener. I work for a university, lean pretty well left, vote blue and think green. I recycle, try to use as little energy as possible and when in the great outdoors I take only pictures and leave only footprints.
Now here’s the dichotomy: I drive an SUV that gets about 20 miles per gallon on the highway, and commute over an hour each way.
I could easily start making excuses as to why I need such a big vehicle or why I live so far away from work, but none of them would explain the joy I feel when I drive through a snow bank or hear the growl of an engine that sounds like it could power a big-rig.
Matt Frye: "My commute time has become my 'me' time" (Jon Greenberg, NHPR)
I truly enjoy driving my SUV. I rarely if ever even complain about those two hours a day spent driving the same route over and over. In fact, my commute time has become my “me†time.
In the morning, I use my drive time to enjoy a nice big cup of coffee and catch up on last night’s sports scores. I mentally map out my day and create solutions to problems hours before they could possibly crop up. In the evening I do just the opposite. I review my day, make notes on anything I forgot or need to revisit, let the day’s coffee wear off, and make the mental shift from work to home.
Keeping my work persona separate from my home persona allows me to be an attentive and loving domestic partner and actually relax and enjoy my time at home in the evenings. Too many working men and women in this country spend every evening complaining about their workday and worrying about the next one instead of leaving work at the office.
History is full of stories about the duality of man: Jekyll and Hyde, God and the Devil, Dr. Banner and the Hulk. Work and home may not quite be the struggle between good and evil, but there has always been a divide between the two.
Today, Work-self and Home-self are all too often merging as our cell phones, laptops and blackberries beep and sing like a flock of chickadees. Perhaps a good drive in a vehicle you really love is the key to keeping these dual lives separate.
