Sometimes I think that the only reason I watch the morning news is so that I can get that adrenaline rush of energy that only happens when you hear something so inane that you are literally filled with the energized need to scream "are you kidding me?" from the highest mountain top you can find. This, for today anyway, is my mountain top.

The Today Show (which I freely admit watching every morning) did a feature on gridlock traffic across the country.  The basic foundation of the story was that, as a result of mounting traffic in our cities, commuters are now "forced" to leave for work at 6:00 in the morning and aren't getting home until 7:00 or later.  Basically, the story goes, they are choosing to work longer hours because the traffic is so bad that they are trying to drive in at the far ends of the spectrum in an attempt to find lighter traffic.

Shockingly, this is having a negative toll on our collective health.  We're skipping breakfast, eating fast-food for dinner, not spending time with our friends and family, and we're not getting enough sleep. And there's - supposedly - no solution in sight. 

WHAT?  We are hungry, alienated, sleep-deprived and overworked, and the only solution we can come up with is to leave for work earlier?  Are you kidding me?

Here are some ideas.  I know, they're shocking, but bear with me....

1. Carpool. This is really cool math, check this out.  If these weary commuters were to each pick 1 friend to drive to work with (just one, you don't even need a car full) there would be 1/2 as many cars commuting.  That would cut commute times, massively. And, it would be time with a friend.  2 birds, one stone.  (And I'm not even going to address the obvious environmental impact.)

2. Public transit. Not only does it take a car off the road, public transit is usually a lot faster than single occupancy vehicles, even with all the stops because mass transit can, by-in-large, avoid the large traffic jams that all those SOV's cause. Not only that, but you can read a book, or talk to a neighbor, or meet someone new and talk to them. All of those things are relaxing - and, I'm pretty sure that feeling connected to the world around you is good for overall sense of place in the community.  And even if it's only a few blocks, the walking from stop to destination is exercise, and time outdoors.

3. Ride a bike. This is my favorite, but I'm willing to admit that not everyone can do this just yet. But try it 1 or 2 days a week. I used to ride about 13 miles each way, my husband still does it every day. The bonus, exercise. Think of it this way - if you're spending 3 hours in the car each day, I"m guessing that you're not making it in to the gym, which you need to do for your health as well as your over all sexy good looks (self-esteem.) But, if that commute IS your time in a gym, then that's lots of perks.  And again, car off the road, better for the environment as well.....

4. Live closer to work OR telecommute a few times a week. I know, we can't all afford to live closer to work, but it's worth checking out. Look, I live in Seattle, the city known for creating such an overinflated housing market that people can barely afford to live in the state in which they work, much less the city, but still, check it out, even moving 10 miles closer can shave time off everyone's commutes and remove emissions from the air we all breathe. As far as telecommuting, the truth is that a lot of us have jobs that can be done remotely.  (Certainly a lot of those people in SOV's in rush hour.) So commute to your kitchen table and power through your papers and reports in the comfort of your jammies without the distraction of co-workers at the water cooler. And take a walk at lunch time. (This is what all of us at JUST CAUSE do.  I don't know about the walk part.)

But here's what I know for sure, leaving 15 minutes earlier and staying 15 minutes later is not going to solve any problems.  And there is something we can do about it. I'm sorry, but accepting this sorry state of gridlock creates congestion in our cities, our arteries and our psyches, and it's nonsense.