A Walker

I love to walk. I’m not so fond of cars, and I hope I can live in my walkable neighborhood for as much of the rest of my life as possible. 

I can walk to the library, to my favorite coffee shop, to the drug store, and to a fitness club where I bike after I walk there.

I walk to the polling place at city hall when it’s time to vote, and to the shop where I buy wine. Also, to my hair salon and to the Thai place where I get takeout every week or two.

It’s fun to walk to the small art gallery that just opened nearby, and when I needed therapy for my knee, I was able to walk to get it three times a week. 

I meet and talk to neighbors while walking, although sometimes I remember the names of their dogs better than the names of the neighbors.

I can walk to our neighborhood park, pool and beer garden. I often walk the beautiful river parkway that leads to the charming village district in my city.

Other places I could walk to, but seldom do, are a Chinese restaurant, a pizza place, a nail salon, a dry cleaners and a tavern that’s been in the neighborhood for many years and that somehow I've never entered. Also, a chiropractor.

I could walk to the gas station, but without my car I wouldn’t really need to be there. 

The place I walk to the most is the supermarket. It’s small, crowded and busy and so is the parking lot. Walking instead of parking is a real advantage.

Though small, the market has a fine selection of fresh fruit and produce, cheese and deli items and a full service meat and seafood department. I could put a pot of water on to boil, walk to the supermarket to buy pasta and be back before the water boils, but I would never leave a pot on the stove unattended, even though I'm pretty sure in this case it would be fine. 
​
Although I walk less during winter, I’m grateful to be able to walk most of the year, and grateful that, for the most part, my body is allowing me to be a walker.