Driving myself crazy ... and beyond

No one loves hitting the open road like I do, but after the past few years, I am about to drive myself crazy.

I met the love of my life while attending the University of Wyoming. During my fourth year, I popped the question, she said yes and we lived happily ever after.

Wrong.

Shortly after I proposed to Aya, she was accepted into a graduate school in Aurora, Colo. Committed to making our relationship work, I decided I would drive to Aurora every other weekend, a 151-mile trip from Laramie.

Driving from Laramie to Aurora wasn’t so bad to start, but then I started moving.

After I graduated from UW, I drove back to my hometown, Sinclair, a 100-mile trip from Laramie. Shortly after I moved, I started working in Rawlins, meaning I was commuting, a six-mile trip each day. That commute equaled 3,600 miles during the 10 months I lived in Sinclair. Plus, I was still making the trip to Aurora every other weekend. From Rawlins, that is 248 miles.

After working in Rawlins and living with my parents in Sinclair for 10 months, I decided I had enough and moved to Cheyenne, 150 miles from Sinclair. That particular trip from Sinclair to Cheyenne was miserable because I had to drive through a blizzard.

Once I was in Cheyenne, I still had to commute about six miles each day for work. During the two months I was there. That roughly equals 480 miles. I was still driving to Aurora every other weekend to see my fiancee. From Cheyenne, that is a 107-mile trip.

I was driving the least amount of miles in Cheyenne, but living in Cheyenne was no treat.

When I moved, I found the cheapest place I could, which happened to be a small room in someone’s basement. Two other guys also lived in rooms in that cramped basement. We all shared a bathroom and used the bathroom sink for everything, because we didn’t have a kitchen sink.

After two months, I was offered a reporting position at the Saratoga Sun, a position I readily accepted.

I remember I left that small basement with no regrets at 5 o’clock in the morning on my last day of work. I couldn’t get out of Cheyenne fast enough.

I then drove 150 miles back to Sinclair and commuted to Saratoga, a 43-mile commute, because I couldn’t find a place in Saratoga right away. I hate to repeat myself, but I was still driving to Aurora every other weekend, and will continue to do so for a while.

Honestly, I didn’t mind driving up and down interstates 80 and 25. I didn’t mind commuting at least six miles for work. I didn’t mind because I didn’t know any better.

I got a place in Saratoga last week, and for the first time in my life, I am able to walk to work. That first time I walked from my apartment to the Saratoga Sun felt great. It is an experience a lot of people can’t have because they commute. Almost everyone has to commute and drive to do something necessary for their own lives. I still drive to Aurora every other weekend, but that first time I walked to the office taught me something.

It taught me, I don’t always have to be on the go. Sometimes I just have to relax and take it easy, even if that is something as simple as walking to work.