Take a Walk

America is a driving culture. We drive everywhere. Sometimes we even get in the car to drive a few blocks, as though we were allergic to walking. But going for a walk can be really pleasant.

My grandmother lives about 3.5 miles from me. Sometimes I drive there, and sometimes I walk. This past weekend, I walked. It took about one hour and twenty minutes each way, compared to fifteen minutes each way driving. But the walk was great.

It was a beautiful autumn day. I enjoyed the incredible colors of the leaves, the fresh air, the songs of birds, the darting to and fro of squirrels hiding acorns, the feeling of the sun on my skin, the sounds of the city, the people I passed. I got some good exercise. I had some quiet time to myself to do some thinking. I took photographs. On the way back, I listened to music. It was a relaxing, refreshing way to spend an afternoon. And I didn't use any gasoline.

Of course, driving seven miles doesn't exactly create an enormous amount of pollution. But it does create some, and every little bit we can reduce helps. Plus, if everybody cut out a little, it would add up to a lot. And, perhaps most important, if we start walking or riding a bike, even just a little, even just once in a while, our mentality starts to change. And as our mentality changes, our waste of energy and our creation of pollution start to decrease dramatically.

And anyway, the walk was much more enjoyable than the drive would have been. Here are a few of the pictures: