lori I love to walk. I walk to shop, to bank, to do all my errands. My kids walk and bike to school. My city is much smaller than it is for people who use their car everyday. Most days my city is a 5 km radius of my house; a distance that allows me to manage on foot. I do use a car and a bike as well, and this allows me to go further afield, but mostly, I walk.
What I do not love about walking is when Calgary’s car culture rears its ugly head, like it did this morning on my walk to school with my daughter. I was yelled at by two irate women drivers when my daughter and I crossed in a crosswalk. I didn’t give the drivers enough warning the driver yelled. Cars cannot stop on a dime they shouted. Yes, they can, and they did. They just weren’t happy to be interrupted, to be slowed, to be taken to task on why they were not going to stop for the mum and kid crossing in a crosswalk on the way to school. So I yelled too. Slow down, be ready, anticipate; especially during walk to school time. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for that hurtling hunk of metal. PAY ATTENTION!! (okay, the rant part is over now.)
Walking is freedom. It is the freedom to go fast or slow (but really, walking is slow in comparison to most forms of transport), to change my route mid-stride, to take shortcuts through parks and along river valley trails. Walking is creativity. It is the chance to think, to work through problems, to have new ideas. Walking is being out there, accessible to your neighbours; walking is eyes on the street, and walking is health.
I hope that more people with WALK THERE.
- Get out there and walk your community, talk to the neighbours, be the eyes on the street.
- Get fit, stop taking statins, and high blood pressure meds, and going on nutty diets, looking for the easy, yet imaginary fix for health.
- Forget the organics, the detox, the gluten free; just WALK MORE, eat real food and get good sleep.
- Make the cars stop for you. Step out and make the streets safer for everyone.
Just WALK THERE!
