’d mentioned this elsewhere but recently I had surgery for carpel tunnel in my left hand. My doctor downplayed the recovery – he didn’t see a full splint as anything to be concerned about. For me, I lost the SHIFT, CTRL, Z, X, C, V, A, S, D, F, W, E and R keys. I went from high-speed typing to find-n-peck. And this went on for weeks.

Besides typing, I couldn’t drive. One handed? I’ve got a six-speed cooper. So that was out. The first two days I had JB the wife drive me in. That meant she got to drive four commutes each day (there and back twice). So that didn’t work.

Given that, I went back to SunRail. This localized train service stops a mile and a half from my house and a mile from work. For the home side, I can walk it (40 minutes) or catch a lift with my wife. On the work end, Lynx bus system runs a link between the Maitland station and my office, so that’s covered.

The splint is gone now but I’m still riding SunRail. The car takes thirty minutes, the train sixty. Would seem like a no brainer, right?

But consider: with the car, I get thirty minutes of frustration. With the bus/train, I get sixty minute of my own time. On the bus, the platform or the train, I can read. I can write on my laptop. I can sleep. This is a critical difference. I’m actually gaining thirty minutes of relaxation and writing time. Add in the other considerations (I’m greener doing this, and there is a fellowship of riders who welcome you into their little cadre (the lynx driver even brings bagels every so often)) and suddenly you see a massive outlook shift. Frankly, it’s stupid to bring the car in (I only do it when I have appointments or commitments). But now I’ve gained an hour a day of me-time, quite a benefit. I’ve already started writing solid again.

And it’s funny – when it comes up around the office coffee pot, the discussion is still about the time I’m “wasting”. Really? I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Addendum: We’re addressing that problematic home-station link by me buying a Brompton folding bike. This way I cut out the wife-station-commute or twenty-thirty minutes of walking. The folding bike can also be taken aboard the lynx bus on the station-work side. And once that I-4 bridge is complete, I’ll be able to ride both sides. So a Brompton makes this win-win-win. And it’s a brilliant bike!

>>>WHEN I’M NOT PLAYING WITH TRAINS OR RIDING TRAINS, I’M WRITING. CHECK OUT MY BOOKS HERE!<<<