A 5 Hour Commute to a Job in Washington, D.C

Last year I heard about Michael Hanley who has a job in Kansas and lives in Wisconsin. This is a 530 mile trip one way and over 1000 miles round trip. He spends 16-plus hours driving to and from work. I first heard this on the radio and since it was so long time ago I do not remember which radio station. People were remarking how hard it must be to commute so far away. They mentioned that he has the three roommates, his brother, and two brother-in-law's. While thinking about this I figured I would tell about a man I knew who had a long commute as well.

I know a man that has his alarm set for 3:00 a.m. in the morning in Harrington, Delaware. He leaves his house by 4:00 a.m. and drives to Kent Narrows, Maryland. Once he gets there he gets his lunch and backpack and gets on a Dillion's commuter bus and rides it all the way downtown, Washington, D.C. The entire commute takes two and one half hours if the traffic is good.

While on Dillion's commuter bus the people you meet become like family. On the bus they learn where people sit and what stop they get off at. Allowing those who want to sleep or read being careful not to disturb them. They learn their names and wake them up when it gets near their stop. The bus drivers and the riders become friends and they might even exchange phone numbers and email addresses. If the weather is going to be bad they might email one another and let them know what the weatherman says.

The commute is five hours a day so the five work days a week is 25 hours commuting and 40 hours working. Sometimes they wonder if they should find a place and stay in Washington, D.C. during the week. However they say the chance to sleep in their own bed with their spouse and see their family is much better.

The man goes to bed at eight every night so he can be ready to get up when the alarm wakes him up. There are plenty of days he wonders if he could find a job closer to home. He does not see any place that he can work at that will pay him as much as in Washington, D.C.

On the weekend this man write article for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. He enjoys this because this is something different then his normal every day job. He can write about anything he wants from how he met his wife in Love at First Sight to Creating Easy to Remember yet Secure Passwords.

How do I know this man? I know him because I am that man.

Sources:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35512133/ns/business-careers/
http://www.ourdailyjourney.org/2011/01/06/long-commute/
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/22/national/main6230186.shtml