The way I normally move to and from places is through public transport. My city has a reasonably good network that can get you about anywhere in about an hour, and although I normally complain about how that is way too long, the truth is that I actually love every minute of it.

I already have my preferred spot in almost every model of bus or train in the whole fleet (and sometimes depending on the time of day). I settle, leave my backpack somewhere where it can stop crushing me (I seriously carry far too much on me), and pop my headphones in.

It’s a time for thinking, for listening to music, for wondering about the marvels of the universe and whatever I am going to eat for lunch. A time for praying, or looking through the window, or getting some more headway into the interesting book I am reading at the moment.

I remember reading somewhere that human brains work better when in movement. The act of moving, be it by foot or in some kind of transport, and while having the brain open to anything else, is a catalyst for thought. Or at least it feels like it, as there are very few places I find more comfortable than the seat of a bus with a good window besides it. I get concentration and a quiet calm and contentment that I rarely feel anywhere else.

Most of what I consider my best ideas and writings were done in one of these seats, looking out the window to catch a glimpse of the clouds in the sky and the Moon if it so happens to be our and about. In fact, I’m writing this while riding the last bus home, and I gazed out the window while I thought how to write that last sentence.

It’s not just two hours or so that I spend each day going places, but the journeys, each one different and special, full of brainstorms, writing, great music and the satisfaction of being alive. Sunrises and views of the city at night accompany me, starting and finishing each day and filling it with motivation and good vibes. So, even if I sometimes complain that it takes too long, I know full well that those bus rides are what lift me up, again and again, and give me the impulse I need to continue living to the fullest.