When: Sunday–During the Afternoon- 3/18/2018
Weather: Low 60’s, mid-afternoon, It was humid!
Observations/Thoughts
- Daddy & Daughter Biking: It is good to see dads and daughters doing things together. As this duo came up behind me, dad gave me a nice warning. His goal must have been setting a good example. Many of the solo bikers don’t choose to do this. Our pace and path were such that we encountered each other again. As they stopped to turn around, they had a little snack. Dad again said something like, “Have a nice day.”. I followed up with a, “Have a great day, little lady.” as his daughter passed by. While I trailed them, it was good to hear dad talking about school starting back up. He was investing in his daughter in a positive way. As a parent, spending time with your kids does not have to be as deliberate as a date. A bike ride is a great option. And, if you are not going to model wearing a helmet, it is good to at least make sure your kids are wearing one. 😉
- Puddles: One puddle was 3/4ths the way across the sidewalk. There was a couple pushing a stroller coming from the other direction. Since the water completely covered my side for a few feet, I felt motivated to walk a little faster. The young family did not look like they were determined to see me with wet feet. As I crossed the narrow portion of the dry sidewalk, I felt I could slow down my briefly accelerated pace. It felt better to be on the “other” side of water obstacle where some insane stroller operator could not taunt and torture me and suck time out of my day. If I chose to be evil, I could always have run through the puddle and splashed them.
- Ant Farms: The previous evenings light rain disturbed many an outdoor ant farm. At many of the farm locations, there were fresh ant-sized bites of dirt resting on the top. Once the rain had stopped, the worker ants must have gone immediately to work. There was no sign at the top of their plantation of the chaos the rain had introduced into their lives. Also, along with the expansion/crack joints of the sidewalk, the ants had cleared out some of the grains of dirt that had become embedded in the crease. If I were an ant, it seems unlikely I would have any time for hobbies.
Post-dinner, I had a short walk with my wife…
With a vacation planned this summer that will involve a great deal of walking, my wife decided she needed to walk the perimeter of the neighborhood to get prepared for our adventure. Our neighborhood does not have the variety of my normal path. At best, there may have been a couple of blooms not visible along my normal trail. Tonight, however, the families were abounding. We passed 3 to 4 slow moving families. They came in a variety of combinations. Some had grandparents and some only a couple and their dog. Other had a grandchild or a whole handful of children. It was good to see the togetherness available when taking a more reserved rather than a more ambitious walk. The humidity and temperature dropped off since my earlier walk. Despite the aches of my previous walk, the more pleasant conditions made the squeaky joints easier to ignore.
Walking Down Life's Road With Andy 