Commuting: For the love of coffee

By Laura Leggetter, Managing Partner

Despites the cries of indignation from colleagues when they hear where I live, the truth is I have always relished my journey from Leigh on Sea, which is long enough to settle into a seat, flip open the laptop and inhale the news. My commute offers an opportunity for thinking time and document writing, not to mention the tedium of school-min and Ocado shopping, and thanks to a historic street grid the short walk to the office takes me through a labyrinth of hidden City alleyways before I grab a strong coffee fix.

Without this commute I am certainly missing the markers of the working day, that early evening period when I would normally be on the train, I find slightly unnerving. My ego will openly admit that I love the shrieks and stampede of little feet when I get to the front door, the expectation to join a game of Mario Kart, help with homework or dissolve into family life, gin in hand.

The mornings, however, are a different matter entirely and my fitness has flourished with the reclaimed time.  After years of tag-teaming my husband and I are back to working out together and I look forward to our early morning runs and endless squats, discussing the news and pondering the future at the same time. 

Eating breakfast with the children has been a luxury reserved only for the weekends, yet now, navigating the inevitable, inquisitive questions and concerns around Covid-19 has been something I can contribute to with attention and love.

And so I start my day, shaky-legged but focused, working to a new and mandatory landscape.

Lives and livelihoods have been lost and this period is an unsettling time for many. I don’t underestimate the enormity of the impact, most of which is yet to come. In the meantime, a sense of drive sits quietly with me each day, alongside an absolute commitment to help clients deliver sensitive, informative messages, whilst maintaining our luminous and collegiate team vibe. That key value seems ever more heightened across the agency, the relationships amongst clients and colleagues somehow shifted in spirit.

I miss those colleagues and clients dearly but hope this reset offers us a chance to do things differently. The choices may not be there right now but the clarity is, and whilst part of me misses that train time perhaps the lack of commute and strange interlude has served to reveal what I really care about.

The coffee roast doesn’t quite hit the mark here but I’m way fitter and full of renewed purpose.