A Walk With Lauren

My friend Lauren is one of the most dedicated walkers I know. Last winter she had to leave her car in Missouri and began walking everywhere she went. This included a 5:00am walk to work a few times a week. I wasn’t there with her then, (ha!) but Lauren and I took a walk the other afternoon. It was so damn windy; we cursed the weather, even though it was a drop in the hat compared to -20 degree mornings. I talked to Lauren about the times she choose to walk and the times she choose to drive, now that she has her car back.

She told me it often came down to time (no surprise). I find this is my number one barrier to walking. For her (and again myself) it seems to happen in the morning. When she wakes up a few minutes before class she has no choice but to drive or to be late (which will ruin your grade at MCAD). It’s just too easy to get into the car, especially when it’s cold (or raining). Interestingly, Lauren realized that she spends more time outside in the winter warming-up her car and clearing snow so she can drive, than she would spend if she simply walked. This of course led to the other things we do to have a car. Like pay for parking tickets, and towing fines, license renewal, taxes, insurance. Schedule oil changes, tire rotations, inspections, transmission flushes, filter replacements, and the list goes on. We also spend time cleaning the in and outside. This can all only be justified when you are spending a lot of time in your car, Right? Then, naturally, it becomes a large part of your life. If, like me you only ocasionally use your car, it seems like a hassle. Oh, and I didn’t even mention fuel.

Distance also seemed to be an important barrier for Lauren. Like when she drives past nearly ten grocery stores out to Whole Foods. It would be too difficult to carry all those bags, or perhaps just a salad from the salad bar, home. So how far is too far to walk? I guess it depends on how much time you have. I asked Lauren when she made a distinction between walking and biking, she said distance played a factor, but moreover just simply how she felt or what the weather was like. Sometimes it’s just too windy to bike. Otherwise, Lauren doesn’t mind walking; in fact she enjoys it.

She said it gives her time to think. I asked Lauren about her paths, why she would take one over the other. She said some days she feels like mixing it up. The walk she takes most often has the least amount of turns. This way she doesn’t have to think about where she is going and can fully enjoy the meditation time.

From here Lauren and I ranted about all things sustainable in our seemingly dismal culture, I will save this conversation for later.