After 2 Years Working From Home I Now Have A 6,000 Mile Commute

After stumbling into an international commitment I’ve developed a borderline-superhuman tolerance for air travel, shrugging off a transatlantic flight like you would rush-hour traffic.

5,000+ miles from home on a 6 hour time difference I was clenching my phone, locked in a tense negotiation. Text length decreased. Response time increased. Accusations were made. An exchange was demanded.

All because my cat managed to get himself kicked out of his summer home (my in-laws’ place).

And, unfortunately, my plans wouldn’t put me in the same country, or even the same state as him (and his gracious but increasingly unwilling hosts) for nearly two months.

My cat’s eviction aside (he’s been relocated to a house resistant to his antics because it’s already been ravaged by time), I was becoming simultaneously accustomed to (and slightly annoyed by) the amount of fires I had to put out remotely.

Though, I had to admit, I brought this on myself.

The author with his burden, I mean cat. Photo by the author.

For context, in the beginning of 2023 my wife accepted a temporary contract to pursue her dream role in Paris, France.