Annual Review of Commute Reunion Surprise
A person returned to an office commute after twenty-three months and encountered several situations they had forgotten were normal.
Preliminary Findings: Commute Reunion April 2022
Background
The subject returned to a regular office commute in March 2022 following an absence of approximately twenty-three months. The commute route, duration, and transit system are unchanged from the pre-absence period.
The subject expressed surprise at several conditions that are standard features of commuting. This report documents those findings.
Finding 1: Duration
The commute takes forty-seven minutes each direction. This was true in 2019. It remains true in 2022.
The subject was surprised by the duration on the first day. The duration had not changed. The subject's expectation of the duration had changed.
At the time of the absence, forty-seven minutes was considered normal. It is now considered long.
Finding 2: Proximity
Transit vehicles during peak hours carry passengers in proximity to other passengers. This is a known feature of the system.
The subject had forgotten that the feature applies to all passengers simultaneously and not, as work-from-home conditions had established, sequentially or optionally.
Finding 3: The Ambient Sound Environment
The office commute passes through a transit hub with audio announcements, recorded and live, occurring at intervals of approximately ninety seconds.
The subject had been working in an environment where audio was subject to personal control. The transit hub does not offer this feature.
Finding 4: The Serendipitous Encounter
On the third day of commuting, the subject encountered a former colleague at the transit stop. The encounter was unexpected and required immediate social engagement without preparation.
The subject managed this successfully. The finding is noted as an unanticipated positive outcome.
Preliminary Summary
The commute had not changed. The commuter had recalibrated to an environment where the commute did not occur. The recalibration was complete enough that standard commuting conditions registered as novel.
The findings suggest this recalibration is reversible. The subject reports that by week three, forty-seven minutes had begun to feel normal again.
The serendipitous encounter has not recurred.