stop and smell the flowers

Having lived in Manhattan for the past 2 years, and been on an urban campus for 4 years before that, I have taken walking for granted. It sounds ridiculous, but after moving to Seattle, I realized that it is entirely possible to go a whole day without walking more than 100 steps or so (I think they recommend 10,000 for an "active lifestyle"). How sad! One of my major gripes is the lack of walkable cities in the US. Why have we created communities where the only logical form of transportation is a personal car? There are a lot of reasons why, I know, but I really think if people were able to walk more places, they would be a little healthier, and maybe a little happier too.

I took public transportation to work for the first time today, so I got to enjoy a leisurely stroll back home just as it was reaching that rosy glow time of the day. I love having those 20 minutes or so at the beginning and end of the day to be alone with my thoughts - I don't even know what I think about, really, but it gives my mind time to process, absorb, mull over, and sort through all the things that are running through my brain at any given moment. They say the brain consolidates memories during sleep, but I think I do that during my walking time. Maybe some people can do the same thing while driving home, but I know I'm more concerned about not accidentally breaking any major traffic rules and making it home without getting honked at. Give me some nice weather, a halfway decent sidewalk, and my iPhone and I'll be content :)