Joining the Herd

With a gigantic to-do list, an appointment in the city at 9 and everything to get done/home by lunchtime, I found myself back on the old commute track again this morning at 6:30.

Usually at 6:30 I'm still sleeping. Especially on mornings this chilly! There's snow on the mountains and I didn't defrost until mid-morning. But no, this morning before any birds thought of releasing wind, I was driving toward Stellenbosch, joining the fray of the still-yawning and office-bound.

Except I wasn't office bound. That continues to give me no end of pleasure. In charge of how my day would play out, I had a 7:30 date with the guy who shreds computer boards, an 8:00 appointment with someone chucking out e-waste, a 9:00 appiontment with a company that wants to, a couple of stops for equipment and e-waste collection, a quick trip to Ferobrake headquarters to discuss January's brake-replacement experience at 11:30, and then home again. Along the way I got to wave at other Land Rovers, examine the new light of day on mountains and valleys, listen to Cape Talk's opinions, admire the spring flowers, meet new and interesting people, drink coffee of many varieties (and pee in a toilet other than the one I use daily as a direct result of all the coffee), then chat about everything from recycling, to cars, to adventure trips, to fishing boats, to how to clean a Land Rover auto box filter (they say it can't be done - hah! to them).

So as much as I joined the commuting herd this morning, there was no "commute" feeling to my morning's circular drive. Business accomplished, yes - but I got to see the world while I was at it.

And that rocks.