A Tale of Two Cities

Confession: I am a double agent, living two separate lives. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I roll out of bed before 8:00 am, pack a lunch and walk to Smith Hall, where I spend most of the day, until 5:00 pm, in a classroom like this:

On these two days of the week, I am a student.     (TCU360)

But every other day, I wake up earlier, sometimes at 5:00 am. I put on nice clothes, pack a lunch, and drive for an hour until I arrive in North Dallas. I park in a multilevel garage and take the elevator to here:

On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I am a working professional.

This is A Tale of Two Cities, or rather A Tale of Living Between Two Cities. I never imagined myself becoming a commuter, but I've also never been one to turn down a knocking opportunity. And now in my last semester of university, I am taking 15 credit hours in Fort Worth and working 25 hours at an internship in Dallas. Words like conference call, break room, toll road, and spreadsheet have become a regular part of my vernacular.  Silent elevator rides, drinking at least three cups of coffee, untangling the headset from my hair, and carrying an access card are just a part of my new daily routine. In the mornings I drive eastward into the sunrise, and on my way home, I drive westward into the setting sun until I reach the friendly, twinkling lights of Fort Worth. Meanwhile, I watch the clock advance, my fuel gauge drain, mileage increase, and the speedometer fluctuate sporadically between 0 and 75.  As I sit in traffic, passing DFW Airport, I gaze at the dozens of planes flying gracefully overhead. I like to imagine all the places those people are going and invent their adventures in my head. I also remind myself that all the work and extra driving will pay off whenever I'm able to board a plane once more and have adventures of my own. Though I spend my mornings and evenings in the glow of red brake-lights, I feel like this year is perpetually at a green light, with no breaks or time to stop. There's only 13 weeks until graduation! I'm not freaking out or anything...