Back in Atlanta, my campus was over twenty miles away from my home. It made for a long drive in, and a long drive back. It also meant that in a lot of ways, my life on campus and my daily life off campus were two, non-intersecting worlds.

Now, my campus is about eight miles away–about fifteen minutes max–and that’s if the fog is bad! Not only has my commute improved (it’s a much prettier drive too!) but it has also made it easier to have a more integrated work-and-home life.

Minor example: lunch.

Today, I met my wife downtown for lunch. She called me at around 11:45, I locked up my office, and then walked down the hill and into town. I grabbed a table for two out front–yes, we had sun today!– and waited for her to arrive. We chatted, sipped some coffee, and enjoyed a good meal together. After lunch, she walked me back to my office, and then went on her way.

Once upon a time, back when our two oldest kids were really, really young, I had a job that was  a short drive from home. Every once in a while my wife would bring the boys on campus and we would have a picnic together on the campus lawn. It’s been a very long time since I’ve been able to do something as simple as share a mid-day meal with my spouse.

Perhaps in a few months or a few years it will all seem very routine and hardly worth a comment. But for today at least, it was an extraordinary treat.