Deliberately

Walked to work for the first time in 9 days. To celebrate, I took the long route. I also happened to leave the house early…for a change. The weather was perfect & is supposed to stay that way this week. With that in mind, I plan on leaving early (seriously) & taking the long way every day.

The main thing on my mind this morning was my walking places mentor: Scott Savage. He’s the Quaker guy who walked across the state of Ohio to the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles to revoke his driver’s license. He just felt like doing it in person & thought walking there would make the most sense. He’d become a horse & buggy man and didn’t plan on ever driving again. He states in his book (a Plain Life) that when he was in the magazine publishing business, some of his readers would ask him why he didn’t ride a bicycle to get places instead of using a horse which requires food & upkeep. He talks about deliberately choosing the seemingly harder/slower path. His reasons aren’t exactly mine. So I spent most of my commute thinking what I’d say to someone who asked, “Wade, why don’t you get a bike?” or “Why don’t you drive more often?” I found it harder than expected to put it into words. The concept I am drawn to, though, is the word “deliberate.” I like that my slow commute is something I’ve chosen to do. It hasn’t been forced on me. It’s a choice that goes back (8 years) to conversations with our realtor, “We need something affordable, with a roomy yard, with at least 2 bedrooms, and within walking distance of campus.” There were days I felt sorry for our realtor. If we could’ve budged a little on the walking distance thing, life would’ve been so much easier for him. We didn’t. He came through for us. And we’re still reaping the benefits…deliberately.

P.S. Picked up two straws (side by side) behind the downtown pharmacy. One had yellow racing stripes and the other had red. They were a cute couple.