6 months ago
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Posted On: May 4th 2026, 07:46 pm
I wrote this narrative essay years ago and have updated it each time we’ve welcomed a new baby into the home. (Full story on Substack)
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The walk from our house to the metro station took 12 minutes most days. This was a huge selling point — “Walk to Metro!” and “Easy Commute to DC!” plastered every For Sale sign. It was true, too. The walking part, anyways. I could walk from our house to the winding, paved path that cut through the trees to get to the metro station in 12 quick minutes. I started my easy commute to DC from the bottom of the yellow line but at least I didn’t have to sit on 395. It might take 15 minutes if it was raining or if I hadn’t finished my coffee. Ten minutes if I hustled. I usually hustled a little.
I walked this way every morning and every afternoon for about a year before the baby was born. We bought our house on the edge of Alexandria. It was one of the few areas where we could make our commutes work while keeping a mortgage that didn’t suffocate our modest budget. But, at an hour plus each way, my commute really was too long. I walked 12 minutes to get to the Franconia/Springfield metro station, waited a few minutes or a lot of minutes for the train to come, rode it 45 minutes to the Columbia Heights metro station, waited for the hospital shuttle bus, and then rode that shuttle bus to the hospital.
You probably know that a common side effect of pregnancy is swollen feet. This happens to all sorts of pregnant bodies – tall ones, short ones, active ones, sedentary ones, young ones, professional ones, and tired ones. It happened to my pregnant body, too. My feet grew wider. My shoes did not.
(Cont’d on Substack — link in stories)
—
The walk from our house to the metro station took 12 minutes most days. This was a huge selling point — “Walk to Metro!” and “Easy Commute to DC!” plastered every For Sale sign. It was true, too. The walking part, anyways. I could walk from our house to the winding, paved path that cut through the trees to get to the metro station in 12 quick minutes. I started my easy commute to DC from the bottom of the yellow line but at least I didn’t have to sit on 395. It might take 15 minutes if it was raining or if I hadn’t finished my coffee. Ten minutes if I hustled. I usually hustled a little.
I walked this way every morning and every afternoon for about a year before the baby was born. We bought our house on the edge of Alexandria. It was one of the few areas where we could make our commutes work while keeping a mortgage that didn’t suffocate our modest budget. But, at an hour plus each way, my commute really was too long. I walked 12 minutes to get to the Franconia/Springfield metro station, waited a few minutes or a lot of minutes for the train to come, rode it 45 minutes to the Columbia Heights metro station, waited for the hospital shuttle bus, and then rode that shuttle bus to the hospital.
You probably know that a common side effect of pregnancy is swollen feet. This happens to all sorts of pregnant bodies – tall ones, short ones, active ones, sedentary ones, young ones, professional ones, and tired ones. It happened to my pregnant body, too. My feet grew wider. My shoes did not.
(Cont’d on Substack — link in stories)
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