Explore the world. That’s the big thing people want to do. And, it’s the same with me. But, there’s something to be said about the pleasures of knowing one’s home well, of being in a single location for a long enough time to understand the place, not just travel through it.
And that’s what I want to talk about here.
I walk, a lot. In the same general area. And, when you do such a thing, something you might not expect happens.
People you do not know notice you walking, and remember you.
People wave at me. Smile and nod and give happy-to-see-me greetings. I don’t know their names. They have no real idea who I am. But they’ve seen my face enough times now that they recognize me.
I like to imagine they even miss me when I am walking somewhere else. I miss them, that’s for sure. When a house goes on the market in my neighborhood, I wonder where they have gone.
While growing up, it’s a connection I never thought I’d have. When I’m lonely, when I’m walking with just myself and some music for company, it’s nice to recall that linking of humanity, and how I fit into it.
Life is so much bigger than us. So many people…it’s outrageous. All going their own ways. Only glimpsed at in passing. The news makes the world so scary, you know? But a walk, even the same walk in the same place a thousand times, reminds me it’s not all bad out there.
There’s still beauty. Nature is not all gone. Clean air, and storm clouds, and blue sky. Life is still with us on Earth. And, people, people really are good and worth the effort.
So, I’ll see you on the sidewalks. And I’ll be sure to wave.
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Coolerbs Writes 