Fear of walking

About six months ago, NPR broadcast a short piece about how difficult it was to walk in some communities. I know that I like to walk as much as I can instead of driving and look forward to the time change in the Spring because it means the street I usually walk home on won't be dark by the time I get off the train. I have used this platform to encourage you to bring your own bags to the market, now I would like to encourage you to try walking to a destination once in awhile. This is the perfect time of the year to try it since it is not too warm and we could all use a little fresh air after being cooped up inside most of the winter. True, it might take you a little longer, but you might be surprised. I found that it takes as long to drive my car, park and walk to the train platform as it does to walk there, and as a bonus, I get some exercise that I would not have if I had driven. Same with going to the drugstore or the market for a couple of things, grab your reusable bag (or backpack) and stroll with a purpose. Your heart, lungs, kids, and grandkids will thank you for doing your part to reduce greenhouse gasses.

Support a Local Artist Today

Recently I spent some time in Santa Barbara, CA catching up with an old friend. She was on the left coast to perform with a group of Santa Barbara musicians, one of which had written something specifically for my friend to perform. On my long drive home, I reflected on how many events like this there actually are across not only the United States, but around the world. The performance I attended was part of a series of events put on by a community college. If you look on any school's website, you will find a calendar full of instrumental and vocal music performances, plays, art exhibits and other events put on by faculty, staff, and students. Add to this the number of community groups not affiliated with a schools, and you could find something to do every day and night of the week. Most of these groups work as hard to put on a performance but sell tickets that cost a fraction of what tickets to a professional group would cost. Now, before someone gets upset, I am not suggesting that we not ever attend an event put on by a professional organization ever again. I AM suggesting that we find a local group that presents the type of work that we enjoy and attend their performances and exhibits on a regular basis. The amateur groups are most likely comprised of folks that are accountants, doctors, lawyers and the like who want to express themselves in a way that they find themselves unable to in their work and family lives. They are proud of the work they do to prepare for the performance and love it when there is a full house to which to present their work.