A typical Yorkshire motorway. Plenty of overtaking options. Having said that. One stray and stubborn sheep and it can grind to a halt really quickly.

I was reading an article about a sales executive and how her life has changed during the pandemic. A year ago she would get up at 6am. Grab a breakfast, fill up the reusable plastic mug with coffee and head off to work. She would then spend 2 hours trying to drive 20 miles on a clogged up 8 lane motorway. She would then work her socks off for 10 hours, maybe finding a few minutes to grab a sandwich. She would get back home just before 9pm brain dead. A year later it’s home working and a life. Getting just as much done work wise, but on her terms and allowing her to better enjoy life.

Apparently home working is bad for the country. Our hardworking, sartorially perfect and completely honest PM describes home working as ‘time off’, ‘slacking’ and bad for Britain. We all need to do our civic duty get back into the office.

Thankfully I am one of those Britain’s who think Boris Johnson is a self serving, dishonest clown.

Home working doesn’t suit everybody. But in the same way tradition office working doesn’t suit everyone. It’s down to each person, each family to work out what best works for them. Hopefully they can then find a way to follow that route. Life is not just about working and sleeping. It’s also about LIVING. To the likes of that prat Johnson that doesn’t matter. That’s why he keeps going on about Victorian Values. A time when the few lived and enjoyed the fruits of other peoples sacrifices. A time when the majority just existed. That sales executive. Me. You. Your neighbour. We all should get an opportunity to do some of that living. To find a life that best works for them.

My switch to home working was forced on me by circumstance but it’s one of the best things that has happened to me. It is NOT slacking. It is about finding that a better work/life balance for those it suits.

I wouldn’t give up that Yorkshire motorway for one of those 10 lane beasts. Not even for the PM.

52 thoughts on “Motorway”

  2. I get that. For me, I enjoy going into my office every day and having a set routine where I get dressed and out of the house early in the day. It makes me feel more purposeful. Then again, my commute is only 20 minutes via surface streets.

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  3. There are numerous articles appearing about how working at home has been a failed experiment. Personally I think that more offices are realizing that they can in fact downsize and maintain a smaller office space for meetings and client calls but that overall things are able to get done out of office at home. That is going to lead to a shift if spaces required and where it is required. But again that is just my thought. There is no real basis to it. 🙂

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  4. Your post has reminded me of a fiction poem (part of a larger work of fiction in poetry and prose) I wrote about a city that had been abandoned for various reasons, and a poet is walking around just looking at the lifeless city when a thought comes to him:

    who used to fill the patios
    with smoking charcoal bar-b-ques
    the heady smell of burning steaks
    the clink of bottles filled with beer
    the neighbours gathered all around
    playing games that passed the time
    between the hours of coming home
    and going back to work

    This is only one verse from the poem, but I think it relates to how BoJo would like to see all people live, their jobs being the main things in their lives, and home time just passing wasted time.
    It actually made me cry when I wrote it. That, for me, described the rat race of the 70s. I guess it could still apply today.

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  7. That is one heck of a gorgeous photo! I think teleworking is here to stay in the US, my husband has been doing it for 8 years and he works for the federal government, hardly an innovator!

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  8. I totally agree with you. Bob works downtown and has an hour-plus commute each way to his office. Before the pandemic, he would leave at 6 in the morning and get home after 7 every day. The commute killed him ESPECIALLY if there were train issues and there were – at least once a week. Now he walks downstairs at 8 and comes back up at 5. Then he can go for a walk and have dinner with the family. Such a difference!

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  9. I would hope that at least 50% of the working force can continue working from home. Look what a difference it makes to the environment for starters. How would Boris know what slacking even is? Will he go any time soon? Ids there anyone with any sense to replace him? I weep for “my” England.

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  11. I totally agree! My older son, who works in the electronic games industry, has been working from home during the pandemic. His daily commute was a 26-mile one-way trip that could take over one hour during peak hours. Now, instead of waking at 6 a.m. to get on the freeway early to avoid the heavy traffic, he can sleep for two hours more with plenty of time to sign in for their company’s 9:00 a.m. zoom meeting.

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  12. I had big problems accepting working from home last spring. It was not possible to have a true structure in the week which felt overwhelming after a few weeks. Now, all is working much better and I have my usual work schedule also at home. Unfortunately, home office is not happening that often this time… lol. However, I am glad I don’t need to be only working from home actually. My son is working from home since last October and he is doing very good at it. As you said, it depends. And for you, it is really a good thing.

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  13. That is a gorgeous photo! Nothing like the Ugly 10 or 12 lanes of bumper to bumper traffic we used to have before March 2020.
    The US has been about work being most important for as long as I can remember. I lost out on promotions because I put my family first and only worked 30 hours instead of 40.
    They finally compromised and made it 35😂😂😂

    I think workers should be able to do what suits them best. Happy employees are more productive, not less. Companies need to realize that, and be more flexible.

    You’re spot on, LIFE is more than working a job!💌💌💌💌

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  15. It’s the same with working and school. We are realizing it shouldn’t be a one size fits all model, but what works best for every family! 🧡

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  16. That photo reminds me of how my daily commute used to start. Twenty minutes on quiet backroads (which was fine as long as I didn’t get stuck behind a tractor) and then another 45 minutes on the train.

    Working from home has freed up so much time for me and I won’t be surprised at all if this continues to be an option after the pandemic is over. I certainly hope so .

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  20. Boris is an idiot! I think we will see a lot of places rethinking office space. I could happily work from home a couple of days per week with less distractions and get more done but there is something to be said for getting up, dressed and out the door instead of dressing in the comfy clothes. Pros and cons to both I think. I would miss my 15 minute drive to and from work, it’s my ‘me’ time and a chance to escape from responsibilities for a short while.

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