65. Jog One Mile (in progress)

Some of the items on my lists are not a simple outing, flick of a keyboard or a bit of light reading.  Some of my goals are actually big goals.  Jogging one mile may be the biggest undertaking on this list.

When I returned from Germany in September, I was about 60 pounds lighter than I had been in quite awhile.  I had done it all on my own through eating right and exercising daily (and a lot of Zumba!).  But I was looking for a new challenge.

Enter my sweet co-worker.  She invited me to join a group called ATX100 that is sponsored by Run-Tex, an Austin owned and operated running store.  This simple invitation has opened quite a few doors for me.

Not only have I made some great friends through ATX100, but I’ve also found that fitness and exercise are fun. And, oh my gosh, this town has enough 5ks and other runs to keep me motivated.  And my team members are a constant source of encouragement to sign up for those runs/walks.

Although lately I’ve taken a slight “sabbatical” from my weight loss and fitness activities, I am starting to recognize that in order to achieve this goal by the end of the year, I’m going to need to some heavy duty conditioning. As a result, I’ve been going to my ATX workouts on a regular basis again.

I can walk for what seems like miles and miles, but to run, (to borrow a phrase from one of my fellow ATXers) that comes light post by light post.  I haven’t hit too many light posts yet, but I’m hoping by the end of the year, I can take on a mile of them.

57. Take the bus to work

Waiting, waiting, waiting on the bus.

My commute each day to work is 45 minutes to an hour to two hours. Austin traffic is just that ridiculous. I’ve been threatening to take the bus for two years and see if I can experience a stress-free commute. So, naturally, the thought crossed my mind to add this little adventure to my task list.
In actuality, I can’t take the bus fully to work. Since I literally live 4 miles outside of the Austin city limits, I would have to drive and find a place to store my car during the day in order to cross this off my list. Therefore, one morning, I drove my car to a nearby shopping center which had ample parking and a bus stop. Thus my journey began.

Yes, to get to work by 8 a.m., I had to catch the bus at 6:10 a.m. True to my very nature, I waited until the last possible moment to leave my house, which meant I was flying through the dark streets toward the bus stop. But I made it with literally two minutes to spare. I had a few issues trying to put my dollar into the slot, but the bus driver kindly showed this newbie the way.

The trip to work was pretty uneventful. Although I did learn that I should probably not sit in the seats reserved for the handicap and senior citizens. Not just because they are reserved for special patrons, but because with three seats in a row, you are more likely to have to sit next to other people, including those who’s showering habits may not be the most desirable. But no harm; for the most part they kept a courtesy seat between us.

I made my connection successfully and got on my next bus. Again, the ride was pretty uneventful, but this time I made my way to a seat near the back and the rest of the drive was again uneventful. Got off at my stop and made my way into work. Total cost: $2.

The ride home had more of an adventure to it. First, I had to take the pitying look of co-workers who offered to drive me home, drive me to the bus stop or just give me a funny look. But this was my adventure and I had to complete this commute by myself. So, I walked across the highway to the park and ride.

I made my way onto an express bus. This is the luxury of public transportation, with quite a price tag. It costs $2.75 to take this vessel. And with free Wi-Fi and the cushy seats, I can’t quite blame them for the elevated price. The first half of my commute home was quiet because this bus has fewer stops and even fewer patrons.

The one beauty of riding the bus is you can lose yourself in a project or book and not notice the traffic you’re sitting in. If you were in your own car, this is the type of traffic that would have you gnashing your teeth and elevating your blood pressure. So, to my surprise, I looked up and found that we were near my stop. Someone had already hit the “Stop” button, so I simply had to get off the bus. Low and behold though, as I was standing there ready to exit the bus, my connecting bus was pulling away from the stop. Okay, don’t panic.

If you’ve ever traveled with me, you know my constant fear is missing my connecting flights. No one goes to the restroom, buys a magazine or even looks around the terminal until we have made it to our connecting gate and have verified at least twice the time that the plane will load. After that, you are free to roam about the airport, but you have to make it to that connecting flight first and foremost. I wasn’t always like this, but once you’ve done the Philadelphia to Atlanta to Houston to Austin flight, you never miss your connection again.

So you can imagine my brief state of panic as I watched that bus pull away. One thing about taking the bus in your own town is that you know a handful of people who will come pick you up at any given time should your travels go a bit wayward (I do have some great friends). But I wasn’t giving up. I knew another bus would come around eventually, I just wasn’t sure when. So, without a board to look up the next departure, I simply just sat on the bench and waited.

Luckily, the bus had dropped me on the Drag, the street that borders the University of Texas and contains all the fun shops and eateries that attract college kids. And there were kids all around me wandering up and down the drag. Talk about feeling old. I love catching snippets of 18-20 somethings. *Sigh* Life was once simple.

But while I was there, encountering the youth of America, I began to think how old I must look to them. Tired from a long day of work and sitting on a bus stop, I’m sure I looked ancient to them.

Then, it really hit me.

That day was “veggie day” at work where the local farm visits and drops off your vegetables for the week. I had forgotten about veggie day, but gladly took my new veggies with me to prepare at home.
Well, if you can imagine, adding a veggie bag to my ensemble was not doing anything for my personal style. There I was, sitting at the bus stop with my cross body purse around me, backpack equipped with anything I might need in a bus emergency: laptop, two books, raincoat, umbrella, make-up bag, pens, journal, water bottle secured in the side pocket etc…you can imagine. And then my reusable grocery bag packed with vegetables, namely green onions. That were very ripe. And smelly.

I sat at the bus stop as the ancient bag lady that smelled like onions.

Once I embraced my new role though, I thoroughly enjoyed sitting there and taking in the hustle and bustle of the Drag. It was a beautiful day, and Austin is quite the beautiful city, even in its busy spots. My next bus came and I boarded and made my way back to my car. Total cost: $3.75.

I really enjoyed my bus ride, and since have taken the bus several more times. I mostly take it on Fridays when traffic is excruciating. I could probably devote an entire blog to my travels on the bus. I see so many colorful people. All of them nice. Some of them are doing their best to keep Austin weird. But to someone who lives her life going from home to cube each day, it puts a bit of color in my life. And it always feels like an adventure. You never know who you’re going to meet or have a conversation with. And with someone else driving, you have time to look around at the city, read billboards and signs that tell you about events that are coming up and find new places you’ve never been to or even seen. And mostly, you have time to yourself to think, read and simply breathe without traffic frustrations. All for $5.75. That’s a cheap price to pay for a bit of peace.