End of an Era...
11-17-20, 08:38 AM
#1
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End of an Era...
My 28 years of bike commuting to the same job and location are coming to an end this month.
The business was no longer sustainable in its current form due to a number of factors, and Covid-19 was the nail in the coffin.
I will be temporarily unemployed, but as with the early work-from-home days of the pandemic, it just means I will be free to ride during the day to and from locations other than the office.
The building has been sold and there has been an unexpected last minute buyer for the business. If it goes through, the company will locate to a different location, 11 miles north of me which I can do, it's just 10-12 minutes more than the 9 miles south I have done for 28-years. I will probably be hired part-time or on a per-project basis which will be enough in the short run...although nothing is finalized.
From my years on the commuting forum, I know I have been very fortunate with my commute, and my employment situation. And even the situation I find myself in now is not as bad as what others have been presented with; so I am not complaining nor despairing.
Two things have made this a little more surreal than it already is:
One is that a week after hearing the news I came into contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19, so I had to quarantine and work remotely for 2-weeks. That made last night my first after-dark commute home of the season.
The other was a mild brush with anxiety. Not mental...but physical. Thanks to daily cycling and weekly improv rehearsal (over zoom for now), my mental state has been just fine. The last big event of existential uncertainty included a painful non-cycling related injury that kept me off the bike for a year, and it came before I joined the improv troupe. I was a mental wreck then. But not this time. I have mental clarity and calm, thanks to cycling and improv.
However, you can't reason with a limbic system. My mind would be calm, but my heart-rate would gradually rise, my adrenaline levels would increase, and butterflies would flit about in my stomach. A ride or a walk seemed to temporarily quell things, and just the taste of vodka on my lips would also do the same (a happy accident I learned from the previous, worse crisis).
A week later and everything mental is under control.
I am centrally located in town, so I will probably get to bike commute too my next job, unless it is over a hour's ride away, or an at-home position.
But for now I will enjoy my last two weeks of this commute and follow my own advice:
If something is on your mind...pedal harder.
The business was no longer sustainable in its current form due to a number of factors, and Covid-19 was the nail in the coffin.
I will be temporarily unemployed, but as with the early work-from-home days of the pandemic, it just means I will be free to ride during the day to and from locations other than the office.
The building has been sold and there has been an unexpected last minute buyer for the business. If it goes through, the company will locate to a different location, 11 miles north of me which I can do, it's just 10-12 minutes more than the 9 miles south I have done for 28-years. I will probably be hired part-time or on a per-project basis which will be enough in the short run...although nothing is finalized.
From my years on the commuting forum, I know I have been very fortunate with my commute, and my employment situation. And even the situation I find myself in now is not as bad as what others have been presented with; so I am not complaining nor despairing.
Two things have made this a little more surreal than it already is:
One is that a week after hearing the news I came into contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19, so I had to quarantine and work remotely for 2-weeks. That made last night my first after-dark commute home of the season.
The other was a mild brush with anxiety. Not mental...but physical. Thanks to daily cycling and weekly improv rehearsal (over zoom for now), my mental state has been just fine. The last big event of existential uncertainty included a painful non-cycling related injury that kept me off the bike for a year, and it came before I joined the improv troupe. I was a mental wreck then. But not this time. I have mental clarity and calm, thanks to cycling and improv.
However, you can't reason with a limbic system. My mind would be calm, but my heart-rate would gradually rise, my adrenaline levels would increase, and butterflies would flit about in my stomach. A ride or a walk seemed to temporarily quell things, and just the taste of vodka on my lips would also do the same (a happy accident I learned from the previous, worse crisis).
A week later and everything mental is under control.
I am centrally located in town, so I will probably get to bike commute too my next job, unless it is over a hour's ride away, or an at-home position.
But for now I will enjoy my last two weeks of this commute and follow my own advice:
If something is on your mind...pedal harder.
Last edited by BobbyG; 11-17-20 at 08:41 AM.
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11-17-20, 08:45 AM
#2
Junior Member
That’s great advice.
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