For most of my working life, I had a commute.
Driving into downtown Denver, right next to the Capitol, right in the middle of everything — that drive was mine. Windows down, music up, phone calls with friends, time to think. I didn't always love it in the moment, but that time served a real purpose: it was the buffer between work-me and home-me. It let me decompress, vent, and mentally clock out before I walked through the door.
When I moved to Kansas City, the commute disappeared. And I was surprised to find that I actually missed it.
So I invented one.
This idea was actually inspired by Sara Blakely, who started doing something similar during the pandemic — creating that transitional time for herself even when there was nowhere to go. I started doing the same thing: walking around the DU campus in Denver while it was closed and quiet, no students, just beautiful grounds and open air and space to think. It was the perfect way to decompress while also staying safely distanced from the world.
I've kept the habit ever since.
Now in Kansas City, my morning commute is a walk around the block. A stroll. A leisurely jaunt. Let me be clear about what this is not — it is not a workout. It is not interval training. It is not going to get your heart rate up in any meaningful way. It is simply a slow, peaceful loop around the neighborhood with no particular agenda.
And I leave my phone at home.
That part has been its own unexpected gift. I've met more neighbors this way than I ever would have otherwise. I've started noticing the little details of the neighborhood — the gardens, the trees, the way the light hits things in the morning — that you completely miss when you're looking at a screen.
It is, honestly, a delightful way to start the day.
Full disclosure: when it's 100 degrees outside, I do not go on my afternoon commute. I will not pretend otherwise. Summer in Kansas City is real, and some days the only viable window is 6 AM before the heat takes over. But even with that caveat, this little ritual has become one of my favorite unexpected side effects of working remotely and living in the suburbs.
If you don't have a commute anymore, I'd encourage you to make one up. You might be surprised how much you needed it.
