Used to drive 45 minutes to work every day, now I walk 12 minutes since my office moved downtown back in February

I still catch myself grabbing my keys out of habit when I leave the house, and it feels weird that I actually know the names of the birds I pass every morning now instead of just staring at brake lights. Has anyone else had their whole commute change overnight like that and found it hard to adjust?

2 comments

2 Comments

smith.anna1mo ago

Read something the other day about how people who switch from driving to walking or biking to work actually start to recognize more of their neighbors and local businesses. There was a study that said walkers could name twice as many shops on their route as drivers. That tracks with your bird thing. I still circle the block in my car sometimes when I'm distracted, pulled into the old parking lot before I remember. Takes the brain a good six months to unlearn muscle memory like that.

taylor.hayden1mo ago

Oh man, I gotta disagree a little. I think it depends on what kind of driver you are. I've been driving the same route for 12 years and I can name every shop, every weird lawn gnome, every cracked sidewalk. I know which driveways are bumpy and which coffee shop has the fastest drive-thru. The thing is, when you're walking you're forced to look up. In a car you can zone out or blast music. But some of us are just... observant drivers I guess? My brain doesn't go on autopilot that easy. I'll notice when someone paints their mailbox or plants new flowers. I think a lot of people assume drivers are checked out but some of us are really paying attention, just at a faster speed.