It's the Little Things

Parking is a challenge where I work - there aren't many spots on the premises and the ones they do have cost almost $100/month and have a long waiting list. I know people who have been on the list for a spot for more than five years! Over the eight years I've worked there, I've tried a number of different ways to get to work.

1. Drive from home right past work, continue on another 5-10 minutes, park my car, and ride the shuttle back to work. Cost: free for one year.
2. Drive two miles, park my car, ride the city bus to work. Cost: free.
3. Drive two miles, park my car, walk five minutes to the university bus stop, take the university bus to work. Cost: free.
4. Catch the city bus from the end of my street, ride it to the transfer station, switch buses, and ride to work. Cost: free. 
5. Drive 15 minutes to off-site employee parking, ride the shuttle back to work. Cost: $19/month.
6. Drive 10 minutes to public parking and walk 15 minutes to work. Cost: $75/month.
7. Get Kevin to drive me to work. Cost: free.

It may seem like the first few options were the best, at least in terms of cost. And there were some definite perks to those options, primarily the people I met on the bus. I made some really great friends there, believe it or not. I also loved feeling more connected to my city. 

But there were some major hassles. As you can imagine, driving around all day in various amounts of traffic, navigating Charlottesville's almost constant road construction, while picking up and dropping off people, some of whom don't move very fast as they get on and off the bus, meant that the bus's arrival time was not always according to schedule. Sometimes it wouldn't even come until the next scheduled time. Or I'd forget that it was spring break for students and the buses had gone to an every 20-minute schedule instead of the usual 10-15. And then there was the time that they changed up the routes and we ended up riding for an hour because the bus we had gotten on had been mislabeled.

And the people that I got to experience every day - they were from all walks of life, for sure. I remember sitting next to one guy who kept telling me that the reason he smelled like marijuana was because he had been prescribed some for medicinal purposes and he was just following doctor's orders. The funny thing is, I don't even know what marijuana smells like. His secret would have been safe with me. I've also seen fights break out and a man get kicked off the bus for supposedly instigating it (the driver apparently didn't notice that he was also carrying an open container in a paper bag - at 7:00 in the morning). And there was the bus driver who drove like a mad man; you had to hold on for dear life on his routes.

So the bus was free, but also not free. There was the cost of time - waiting on the bus to show up, killing time between transfers, riding circuitous routes through the city, or having to leave places earlier than you would have liked to, just to catch the bus. You also don't have access to your car during the day, so doctor's appointments become all day affairs by the time you get to your car, drive to the appointment, drive back to your parking spot, and ride the bus back to work. And for me, there was the cost of anxiety. It takes some mental effort to figure out which bus to take and what time you need to leave home to catch it, especially when there are multiple transportation means involved, each with their own variables - driving to walking to bus, for example.

When I started my new job last May, I moved to a building with parking right outside the building. Except that the waitlist for that parking lot gave priority to clinical staff, which meant I'd never be able to get a spot. So I continued my commuting adventures. But after my diagnosis last July, commuting this way started to feel daunting - a Planes, Trains, and Automobiles adventure every morning and every evening. It was hard enough to make it to work and accomplish things. So while he was in school, Kevin would occasionally drop me off or pick me up, but when he graduated, I started relying on him every day. 

And then the day came that I had been dreading (yet also hoping for) - he started a job. Out of town. And it was impossible for him to take me to work anymore. So I finally broke down and looked into getting a special allowance to park closer, maybe even in the lot outside my building. I was worried it might not get approved because I don't look sick, but it did! Today, for the first time in eight years, I drove myself to work, parked outside my building, and walked right in to the office. And when I was ready to leave, I didn't have to check the clock and the bus schedule, I just walked out to my car and drove home.

I feel like this is a game-changer. I'm happy just seeing my car in the parking lot. I love knowing I can run out to grab something for lunch if I don't feel like walking to the Corner. And I can come and go at work when I need to. I'm so thankful for this blessing that I had to write an entire post about it. It's the little things.