You know, we at BTS are always telling folks to hit the reset button on their hectic drive-alone commute, but has anyone actually done that? Gotten out of their car to walk from the Metro Station in January?

Yes! Someone has!

Heather Dlhopolsky (pictrured at right in her commuting gear) lives in North Bethesda and works at Linowes and Blocher here in Downtown Bethesda. By the end of last year, she was tired of the traffic, the unexpected delays, the double parkers, and her underutilized Fitbit. So she decided to change all of that. 

Now, Dlhopolsky's door-to-door commute is 30 minutes long. She walks to the Metro, rides two stops, and then walks to her office! Yes, even today when it was 12 degrees. Dlhopolsky says that it's not so bad to walk in the cold, or the rain, or the snow, if you have a plan and commit to it. "You know how long it's going to be, and you get through the walk. Don't overthink it, just get through it." It's not all a game of steeling your nerves against the elements, however. Getting a "good pair of rain boots" helps too!

Since she started taking Metro and walking on her commute, Dlhopolsky reports that she is calmer when she arrives at work and has more "mental space" because she hasn't had to be on high alert for people cutting her off in traffic, for example. Her brain can rest as she walks, and she can increase her step count on her Fitbit too!

The only challenges she has faced were not those thrown down my Mother Nature. "Dealing with vehicular traffic is still an issue because drivers seem surprised to see a pedestrian in the crosswalk!"