The Middle Aged Woman's Guide to Commuting

The only thing I really don't like about my current job is that I have to commute every day to the office. Despite massive amounts of freeway construction (which I got to experience driving through), the traffic is absolutely horrific at times. My home and my office are very close to the freeway and about 45-50 miles apart. It doesn't take a math genius to figure out that driving 50 miles on a road with a 65 mph speed limit should take less than an hour.  That math doesn't work when you drive during rush hour...and I do.

Morning commutes run 1-1.5 hours and aren't too stressful unless there are weather problems (Utah = snow & ice) or traffic accidents are blocking the road. When I leave my office at 5:00 pm, however, it feels like the entire state of Utah decided to get on the road with me. Traffic just crawls and it sometimes takes two hours to get home.

In case you ever get stuck commuting to work, I'm going to offer some advice so you don't have to learn everything the hard way.

• Make sure you have food and drink in the car. These are very handy if you break down or get stuck for extended periods of time. Keep them within your reach to partake while driving.
• Go to the bathroom before you leave. Yes, that's the same thing you keep telling your kids. Now it's time for you to take that same advice. No matter how short you think your drive is going to be, I guarantee it will double if you get the urge to pee. If you ignore this advice (or drink too much Diet Coke while driving), I guarantee you're better off getting off the freeway and going to a gas station to relieve yourself. Trying to hold it does not help your driving skills at all!
• Have a coat and a blanket in the car. My car broke down on the way to work one day. The weather didn't seem too cold until I was stranded in the shade of a cement wall in a car that wouldn't start. I huddled under a blanket I had in the backseat (from football season) until someone could come get me. Our current temperatures in Utah are below freezing and it's not worth getting caught without some way to keep warm.
• Keep napkins, tissues, cough drops, ibuprofen, trash bags, etc. handy. When you spend 2-3 hours each day in the car, there's a pretty good chance you will sneeze or have a headache or even spill something. Having these items where you can quickly reach them (without looking) could be a lifesaver.  And my car would be an absolute disaster if I didn't always have a grocery bag dedicated to holding the trash. 
• Bring music. When traffic starts to stress me out, I find that playing music puts me in a better mood. Plus, I keep hoping that if I bounce around enough (in an attempt to dance), maybe I'll burn off some calories. Nobody really knows who that crazy lady be-bopping in her car is...
• Know the best radio station for traffic reports. Most radio stations in a metropolitan area will give a few traffic reports during the rush hour drive. It's better to find the station that gives updates every 10-15 minutes. When problems happen, you'll know in time to reroute or let people know you're going to be late. You can't always avoid the traffic jams, but it helps to know what lies ahead of you.
• Find out what the alternate routes are. When the freeway turns into a parking lot, it's too late to go on an adventure to find a new way to or from work. Check out some of the alternate major streets and give them a try from time to time to see how viable an alternative they are. 
• If traffic is really bad, find something else to do. Sometimes you can run a few errands or work out at the gym before hitting the road and you end up getting home at the same time you would have if you had suffered through the traffic. Leaving a little earlier in the morning could give you time to fit in some errands or just get to work before all the phone calls start.
• Learn how to merge! One of the toughest and scariest parts of my commute is where lanes merge. I used to hate people who didn't get out of the ending lane right away. That was until I learned to do a zipper merge. As implied by the name, the cars carefully come together like the teeth in a zipper. Match your speed to the cars in the lane next to you. When the lane ends, carefully move over into a gap between cars. Some drivers may challenge you on this, but if you're not trying to race ahead, most people will let you in. I like to position myself so the car behind me doesn't speed ahead and ruin the good mood of a successful merge.

These are the things that have kept me alive during the daily commute. I also like to make phone calls to make the drive seem shorter, but that may not be legal where you live. In a perfect world, my job would be closer to where I live (or vice versa) or I would be able to work from home. Until then, I'll be dancing in the driver's seat!