Covid Commuting
It goes without saying that the past month has probably been the weirdest month of my life with what has developed with Covid-19. Just two or three months ago it seemed crazy to think that in China a whole city was under quarantine and now here we are...
Here in England we are now into week 4 of lockdown and are restricted to all but essential travel. Our schools are shut, the shops and restaurants are closed, sporting events are cancelled, hundreds of thousands have been furloughed and those who can are now working from home.
I am lucky that my job as a Civil Engineer is largely office based and I can work from home with relative ease. My employers have been fantastic in facilitating this and so I am doing my part and staying home.
Thankfully the restrictions here do allow for outdoor exercise once a day. As much as I would love to smash out 20-30 miles on the bike each evening I am also keen to get out for walks with my wife and my son some days.
Whilst the lockdown is obviously a scary and tragic situation it has bought out many positives in our daily lives which I am enjoying and embracing. Most importantly I am getting precious time with my boy who is learning new things daily and smashing through development goals that I would otherwise be missing whilst at work.
On a wider level I am enjoying the benefits of people staying at home or exercising locally. The lack of traffic on our roads means that pollution levels are lower, wildlife is booming and the outdoor environment is a much more relaxing place to be. It’s almost a glimpse of what life could be like without our car centric planning policies.
Whilst I have tried to keep the pedals spinning through this weird time, one thing that I have noticed that the dividing line between work and personal has become much more blurred now my home has become my office.
In many ways this has been great as it has allowed me to be present to help my wife with the baby, but the ability to switch off at 5pm has become much more difficult. I’ve always been a big believer that some form of exercise, be it walking or cycling, is the best way to decompress my thoughts after a day at work. Having had time to process my thoughts or simply switch focus to the task of riding home has always allowed me to walk in the door in a fresh and positive state of mind.
Now that the commute home is little more than a walk down stairs I am really missing this dedicated time to decompress and reset. My family commitments mean I can’t go for a spin every night but I’ve decided that as a minimum I’ll be doing a decent ride each Friday evening to ensure that any thoughts of work are out of my mind for the weekend!
Obviously, this is fairly trivial in light of what is happening around the world but by focusing on and enjoying the positives that are coming out of this situation, we will be encouraged to do our bit, which is stay at home and help prevent the spread of this nasty virus.
Obviously at this time I hope that everyone out there is safe and well, and if anyone happens to stumble on these personal ramblings please do let me know the positives you are taking out of this situation.
Stay safe
James
Here in England we are now into week 4 of lockdown and are restricted to all but essential travel. Our schools are shut, the shops and restaurants are closed, sporting events are cancelled, hundreds of thousands have been furloughed and those who can are now working from home.
I am lucky that my job as a Civil Engineer is largely office based and I can work from home with relative ease. My employers have been fantastic in facilitating this and so I am doing my part and staying home.
Thankfully the restrictions here do allow for outdoor exercise once a day. As much as I would love to smash out 20-30 miles on the bike each evening I am also keen to get out for walks with my wife and my son some days.
Whilst the lockdown is obviously a scary and tragic situation it has bought out many positives in our daily lives which I am enjoying and embracing. Most importantly I am getting precious time with my boy who is learning new things daily and smashing through development goals that I would otherwise be missing whilst at work.
On a wider level I am enjoying the benefits of people staying at home or exercising locally. The lack of traffic on our roads means that pollution levels are lower, wildlife is booming and the outdoor environment is a much more relaxing place to be. It’s almost a glimpse of what life could be like without our car centric planning policies.
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| The usually busy main road through my town |
Whilst I have tried to keep the pedals spinning through this weird time, one thing that I have noticed that the dividing line between work and personal has become much more blurred now my home has become my office.
In many ways this has been great as it has allowed me to be present to help my wife with the baby, but the ability to switch off at 5pm has become much more difficult. I’ve always been a big believer that some form of exercise, be it walking or cycling, is the best way to decompress my thoughts after a day at work. Having had time to process my thoughts or simply switch focus to the task of riding home has always allowed me to walk in the door in a fresh and positive state of mind.
Now that the commute home is little more than a walk down stairs I am really missing this dedicated time to decompress and reset. My family commitments mean I can’t go for a spin every night but I’ve decided that as a minimum I’ll be doing a decent ride each Friday evening to ensure that any thoughts of work are out of my mind for the weekend!
Obviously, this is fairly trivial in light of what is happening around the world but by focusing on and enjoying the positives that are coming out of this situation, we will be encouraged to do our bit, which is stay at home and help prevent the spread of this nasty virus.
Obviously at this time I hope that everyone out there is safe and well, and if anyone happens to stumble on these personal ramblings please do let me know the positives you are taking out of this situation.
Stay safe
James
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