Pavement as a panacea

Learning to live day-to-day without access to a car, means I am becoming accustomed to daily walks to and from the supermarket, bakery, or various other frequent stops. The city of Saint Dizier does have a public bus system, but due to its relative infrequency and the fact that it ceases operation at approximately 7pm each day, I find it is often easier to walk to my destinations. And while this may not seem all that unusual, when I think about it, for many of us from the U.S., it is actually quite bizarre.

When I drove to and from work or school, or to run errands, I often took out my emotions on other drivers around me--allowing someone to cut in if I was in a good mood, or flicking someone off and honking my horn a little too excessively if I was in a bit of a hurry or a bit angry (luckily the latter was a rare occurence, allowing me to avoid potentially escalating situations).

I have noticed that when I am walking, I feel I internalize these feelings and my stride seems to express my emotion. I find myself listening to my iPod if I am in a good mood and want to have a sort of one-man dance party as I walk down the street (and I often find myself walking in step to the beat, if possible). Other days I am in more of a reflective mood so I go without the music, walking a bit slower and taking in the fresh air and noticing the details of my surroundings, for example ducks floating in the canal which I often cross on my way to my favorite bakery. Or noticing the canal being completely iced-over on cold winter mornings, but cracks and splits in the former continuous cover, brought about by warming afternoon temperatures and direct sunlight, as I cross later in the day.

This walking is not equivalent to walking from my car to the supermarket, though it may express itself here as well. And while it may be expressed in your walking as exercise, there is something a bit different when you are walking as your means of transport rather than for entertainment or health.

I am grateful to have experienced this difference in transportation. Not only do I interact with a whole different set of people, but in a sense, I am actually interacting with people instead of just looking at someone else through a plate glass window. Often I meet students on the street and am able to ask how they are doing. Or I see a teacher or friend, and am able to stop and have a short conversation, which usually brightens my day, something I would have most likely foregone had I been driving to and from my destination.

And perhaps the greatest benefit from walking is that I am learning to control my stride and emotions. The walk usually helps me to get anger out of my system, the pavement or cement becoming my means of diffusing tense situations. And the air becoming my means of refreshing elixir.

While I realize walking may be difficult for many people due to physical circumstances limiting their time, I encourage you to try it more often. Just maybe you will find it to be as relieving and exhilerating as I. There is no cleaner way to travel, and for this, future generations will thank you.