Many people despise their commute to work.

Contributing factors include, but are not limited to: not getting enough sleep, mode of transportation, running late, length of the commute and rushing to be on time. I, on the other hand, quite enjoy my commute into work. I make sure I get at least seven hours of sleep so I can be functioning for work the next day. My commute is only about 25 minutes and there is never traffic. I come in from Slidell so I just hop on the highway and it’s a straight shot. It’s a calming time for me before I start my day. I usually grab a coffee at PJ’s in Slidell and then throw on my favorite podcast—the Sports Junkies. They are a group of four Washington, D.C. area natives who talk about everything DC sports—it helps me keep up with my local teams and they are usually good for a couple laughs. Every time the Redskins win, one of the members, Eric Bickel, screams to “play the song.” The song is Hail to the Redskins and it always makes me laugh. But while I’m listening to this banter, I’m taking in the verdant, sunny Mississippi landscape and thinking about potential stories I will write. My commute is a time of quiet contemplation that I have really come to embrace.

When I worked in the financial district in New York City, my commute was the complete opposite. I was living in the Connecticut suburbs and the trip started with a five-minute walk to the train station. Then I hopped on the train and took an hour-long ride into Grand Central Station. Usually, I would get a seat, but every now and then I would have to stand the length of that ride.

Next I went underground and boarded the NYC subway. It is a filthy, crowded place. You are constantly bumping into people who are frantically running every which way to try and grab a train. If you were lucky enough to snag a seat on the always over-crowded car, there was a solid chance someone who did not get enough sleep the night before would fall asleep on you—it happened multiple times to me.

All in all it was about an hour and a half one way.

Needless to say, I’m thankful for my commute into Picayune.