Chapter 53 ★May Day brings work and life together

A few years ago, my husband worked downtown and we lived on the outskirts of the city, nearly two hours away by commuter train.It also means that, like millions of other commuters, he spends nearly four hours a day commuting between his home and the office.Usually, he leaves the house at 6:30 in the morning and returns home around 7:00 in the evening.Is this crazy?Indeed.Why do we torture ourselves like this?For some, this may be a kind of aggressive spirit.However, when we face this fact seriously, we realize that we are selling our present for an uncertain future.So, we made several changes in our lives.

We moved to the countryside in the same district as where we worked.This difference is big.Now, we can enjoy breakfast after a relaxing two-kilometer walk along the beach in the early morning.Gibbs could be out around 8:15 and was in the office by 8:30.And, at least once a week, he leaves work early on Wednesday afternoons, and spends a few hours climbing to the top of a nearby knoll to clear his head.Usually, he can be home by around 5:30 in the afternoon.Also, on our freer days, we go boating or take another walk before dinner.We can also spend a long time reading books together, or watching the beautiful sunset together.These activities are very important to us, and these activities were something we were unable to do in the past.Because he used to be on a crowded commuter train, delaying his return home.These activities are also difficult for those stuck on the highway for commuting.

It is true that we have given up some positive characteristics of urbanites without any doubt and moved away from the center of civilization passively. However, it is also an indisputable fact that our quality of life has been greatly improved as a result.The only thing that baffles us is: why didn't we do this sooner?