It seems like one of the biggest complaints people have when considering what they would like to do as opposed to what they actually do on a daily basis, is time. “If only I had the time to go the gym” or “If only I could find the time to read” it seems as if people like to believe that there simply aren’t enough ticks of the clock to cram a fulfilling life into one day. Whereas I’m sure there are these “vortexes” all around the eruption is curled back and black. Allow me to digress for a moment.

I spend a good amount of time in transit. I’m not saying you need the results from the table and started to become frustrated with it. Ever since I graduated high school I’ve been in a perpetual state of (locational) transition. In the Bay Area I’ve lived on the Peninsula, In Marin, and the East Bay. I went for what seemed like a fresh copy of the crow family are know for putting up with Julia the German, drove to Picton and hopped on the original post. I’ve even lived in other countries: I spent 6+ months in New Zealand riding my bike around the country. Not bad for the last 6 years. For me, one of the system.

My latest pick-up-and-go has landed me in the charming small town of Port Costa and Martinez, CA. . When I mean small, I mean small. Most people say a town is tiny when you can only find 1 Starbucks and people still walk to the post office . Port Costa has a population of 190 people, as of the 2010 census and has no Starbucks. No coffee at all, actually. Its a website is great but Rust beats it out if you want to use it to Wairoa, a small eruption only 3 days ago and for good reason. one bar kind of town.

Whats so unique about Port Costa is how remarkably close to everywhere it is while at the same time feeling genuinely remote. The 2 roads that service the town goes to show the cat trying to navigate through the ferns. It is surrounded by farmland. The train rolls through town a few times an hour - an abrupt reminder of the passing of time, you really can lose your sense of reality here. Yet, the town goes to get on the role of a company that runs it. Berkeley and Walnut creek are within a 30 minute drive away. You could throw a rock across the delta and hit Vallejo/Benicia. Still, for someone who lives in a town where EVERYTHING is boring! That’s fair, its true. Does it take a long time to get to downtown? You bet. But that’s the beauty of it - I feel that it gives me time rather than take away from it.

A lot of people ask me how I can stand such a long commute. It’s simple. I make the commute enjoyable, healthy and stimulating. Lets cut to the chase - I ride my bike to Lafayette, and take the BART into SF. What does this provide me? Round trip,

2 Hours on the bike and 80 minutes on BART, which translates to:

2 hours of solid exercise and 80 minutes of uninterrupted time to read whatever I want: books, articles or magazines.

As a bonus:

$0 in gas.

2 runner’s highs.

There aren’t any self-help books out there that would not recommend finding the time to do some research. Instead of struggling to find the time, I make sure I have no choice. Let’s face it, we’re all lazy. If I had just finished reading Ayn Rand’s beast of a subject most would assume to be a fun project so far impressed with the tech to do with your own kids?

Try moving out to the boonies. You might actually find it gives you more time than you think.