I woke up very excited to get up and walk to work. You see, due to roadworks in my city and what seems like a serious failing in the logistics department, I have to be at the bus stop at least an hour before I need to be anywhere. What should be a simple 20-25 minute journey ends up being a lot of waiting around for buses that never come. I generally take that time to get increasingly angry about a service that’s holding me hostage because it’s the only viable bus route available to work.

SOD THAT I said. Yesterday was the last day of my monthly bus pass and I opted not to renew it, if I have to wait an hour to get into work, why not walk if that takes me an hour and change? Thanks to the indifference offered up by the bus company to my justified moaning, I decide that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Walk.

For the first time in a really long time, I respect the second alarm clock I set telling me to, “No really, wake up for real“. The first alarm fifteen minutes earlier, allowed me to slowly wake up, get used to being awake, reach for my phone and leisurely read the news. Okay, maybe not the news, the internet, but the basic idea is the same.

Before I went to sleep, I set a lot of alarms for this morning, to serve as audio indicators of where I should be in my getting ready routine. I am determined to be early, well early-ish, okay well on time to work today. I’m out of the door as the last alarm chimes.

As soon as I take a few steps outside, I knew I was wearing the wrong shoes. Damnit. I needed walking shoes, proper walking shoes, shoes designed to be walked in, shoes that would provide proper support as I walked. I don’t have walking shoes, I’ve spent the last few months trying to find walking shoes and I hadn’t found a single pair. I make a mental note to raid my mother’s shoe collection, she always has walking shoes. Thank you mother.

I press play on the BBC Radio 4 comedy show that I found last night as I was setting all the alarms. It’s funny, I laugh a lot as I walk, almost forgetting the time. Each stop I pass, I check how long the bus should be. 10 minutes one reads, I walk for 5, 8 minutes the second one reads. I smile triumphantly to myself, and take off my raincoat because it is too bloody hot for all of that. It feels good walking along, listening to a funny comedy show, and moving instead of stewing in rage willing the bus to appear as if I were a superhero. If I were a superhero, I’d be Raven from Teen Titans. Just a sidenote.

30 minutes pass before I see a bus going in the direction I’m walking. Then another five minutes later. They’re both running late, and it is another twenty minutes before I see another zoom past, full to the brim with angry, grumpy commuters. HA! I think, and quicken my pace.

I manage to stop for breakfast, uming and ahing before settling on a croissant and fruit juice. Thanks Mr. Sainsbury’s Man! As I walk into work, my co-workers ask me how I found it, I reply honestly, “It was actually not that bad!” I enjoyed walking, I’ve always enjoyed walking. 

As my gripe with the bus company is about stressing me out in the morning, I opt to take the bus home. Morning Boycott isn’t’ as catchy, is it? Paying the £2.10 for a single journey hurts, so I top up my pass with single journeys. 

I utterly smashed my step counter, both Samsung and Google are incredibly pleased with my effort. I have to admit, even though it’s Day 1, I am too. Wonder if I’ll be this optimistic tomorrow morning?