A co-worker has begun walking to work each day. Admirable, right? You have no idea. She lives FIVE MILES away. She read a book about living well without a car and decided to give it a try. It takes her about an hour and a half to make the walk. Fortunately the weather has been gorgeous–crisp and cool–but she says she’s going to try and keep it up even in the face of rain and snow.
Of course, this takes strength and stamina, but the thing that impresses me is the TIME it takes. I travel about 10 miles to work and it takes me 15-20 minutes (windy, back roads). If I’m in a hurry, that drive takes forever. I have things to DO–working, writing, exercising (that’s kind of ironic), cooking, reading, relaxing. The list goes on and on.
But my friend doesn’t see this as a sacrifice of time. She takes her iPod and listens to books on tape, podcasts, music. She notices the changing landscape, businesses, people. She’s realized that there’s a kind of prejudice toward walkers. Drivers assume there must be some negative reason for walking. Maybe she lost her license. Maybe she can’t afford a car.
I’m not planning on walking to work any time soon, but my friend has given me pause. I don’t have to rush headlong to get where I’m going. I can take my time and enjoy the journey.