Inertia

Not me, although I'm a big fan of intertia whilst poolside and DG and TG are busy jumping and splashing and swimming. No, I'm thinking of my commute. I always have a book, a magazine or two, probably a newspaper or tabloid, and, of course, some good knitting. Whether I get a seat or simply am balancing whilst grabbing the overhead pole, I am doing something. Today, I was reading a magazine article and knitting (and not bumping into my seat-mate), yet taking a chance to survey my fellow commuters.

Unfortunately, few of my fellow commuters were doing anything at all. A couple were reading the Express. One was reading a Dean Koontz piece-o'-crap (no, those aren't actual books), and one law firm employee was editing a brief in draft format. Two Hill or think tank staffers were reading policy papers. Everyone else (more than 30 people) was either listening to music or sitting doing nothing. I don't understand having between 20-60 minutes a day where one does nothing. Now, I admit, I'm a busy single mother: I have to use any free time to accomplish anything I have any hope to achieve, whether that is reading a book, knitting a sweater, or snarking at fellow citizens. Maybe it's just envy that makes me sneer at my fellow commuters who have nothing they want to achieve between 7:45 and 8:30 A.M. and 5:00 and 5:45 P.M. (give or take ten minutes).

I don't want to lose that hour and a half every day. I have books I want to read, UFOs*to complete knitting. MNOT agrees with me. We both have a morbid fear of being without a book in a situation where we have to stay put. TG is beginning to pick up this good phobia. She always has a book or two with her (even when going to play tennis or do karate). Last week, in school, she had to list something that was worthy of a celebration, and she wrote: "I found a book I like."

So, I don't want to judge, but can't help it. What kind of person chooses to do nothing during 30 to 45 minutes of enforced idleness? I try to imagine, to have empathy: a tired person? If they're more tired than I am with a full-time job, a four year old, a nine year old, and what-have-you, I'll eat a rutabaga (I'm otherwise quite unlikely to do that). This is supposed to be a highly educated (but no-one said "highly intellectually curious", obviously) town, yet all these self-proclaimed smart, ambitious, and very, very busy people won't grab an opportunity to read a book or magazine? I understand not doing craft stuff like knitting on Metro. Even with a seat, it takes a fair amount of coordination to not annoy one's fellow commuters. But books? Especially know with the little handheld computerized book-readers, which I can't stand, but I'm glad they're out there for people who like them and can afford them. And I suppose some people who I think are listening to music could be watching podcasts of important policy addresses, but most of them look like (and it sounds like, since their earphones, for the most part, aren't of the highest quality and thus inflict their musical choices on their fellow travellers) they're just sitting there listening to modern music of varying types.

Obviously, this is a legitimate lifestyle choice, and it reflects ill on me that I sniff on it. I think it's the Scandinavian/Yankee parts of me (pretty much all of me): you know, idle hands do the devil's work. I was raised to take real pleasure in doing things. Even reading a book sometimes seems too idle, although I don't let that stop me. So I just don't get the, "oh, I'll do absolutely nothing" mindset, unless I'm on vacation. Maybe they're all on vacation? Or maybe they're just different than I am, shockingly enough. I've got to work on this judgmental thing.

*UFO = Unfinished Object, in the knitting universe. Once you have more than two or three, they become more terrifying than flesh-eating-alien zombies, which is probably a movie Insane Ex will let DG see.