I have a 45 minute commute to and from work, made more difficult lately with the closing of a major freeway. It hasn’t been terrible, but when I left today, I soon became unsure of just what time I’d be arriving home. Traffic was at a standstill for at least the first 30 minutes of my commute. I mean, a DEAD STOP. For 30 minutes. Thank God for full gas tanks and empty bladders.
So, I did what most everyone I’m sure was doing, I whipped out my trusty smart phone and consulted the almighty Facebook. I did this not only to vent my frustration but to warn others of this nightmare in hopes they could avoid it.
A friend of mine responded with an update on Facebook. “In Detroit accident. Two lanes blocked on I-94 WB before the Lodge. Stop and go traffic from Conner St/Exit 220.”
Awesome. I-94 is three lanes east and west so that meant everyone and their half cousin leaving the city at this hour heading west would merge into ONE lane on I-94. Woohoo! We can all go insane together! I did ultimately remind myself though, as I usually do, that things could always be worse. I’m inconvenienced by having to sit in traffic, but those involved in the accident were having a much worse day than I! I’ll quit complaining.
I then realized there had to be a hashtag in use on Twitter that would provide updates as to what was going on when we leave for the day, at least during my stay here in the beautiful city of Detroit. In HootSuite I created a stream for #detroittraffic and voila – there were all the details on my current mess along with others. My 45 minute commute would turn into two hours.
Please note, I did all of this while at a complete stop. While my car is moving, my phone goes back in the console. I made that promise when I lost a friend of mine to a distracted driver two years ago. And as a motorcycle rider, I’ve had way too many close calls due to people using their cell phone, either talking or texting. And we wonder why there is road rage.
How is your commute, if you have one? When you are stuck in traffic, do you multitask, use the time to your advantage, or take the opportunity to unplug and be in the present moment, as aggravating as it may be?