It seems I spend a lot of time in the car. Usually going from place to place in the valley it takes some wheels, especially as the heat rises in the summer. Tuesday I had to get the oil changed and instead of waiting inside I thought I would go pay our bill at Verizon. There was one within walking distance along Hopyard over 580 by the Home Depot store.
So off I went thinking a good brisk walk for fifteen minutes would be good for me. The fifteen turned into twenty-five as I had to negotiate the intersection crosswalks. You can't always walk the most direct route for there are certain streets you can't cross over. Plus I wasn't quite sure where it was located so I stopped at a Sprint store to see if I was going in the right direction and if they had any phone cards for sell, they don't, but they did confirm I was on the right route.
I made it to Verizon, paid my bill, found out they don't sell phone cards either. I then headed back the way I came. This time I cut through a parking lot, but I still had to cross the intersection using three crosswalks since the direct route was not available, according to the "No Pedesterian Crossing" sign. I actually was starting to enjoy myself as I watched people and their driving antics.
More people talk on cell phones held to their ear than I thought would after the law against was passed last year. My daughter would have been having a fit for only about fifty percent of the people actually use their turn signals, and she is the turn signal queen, at least when I am driving. As I came back across 580 on the bridge I noticed the walk signal was on and decided if I ran I would make it, thus I would cut my time returning to the oil change place by at least a half a minute. Once I got running I get really jazzed and kept running for another block after that. So if you saw some guy in a maroon shirt with his tie flapping in the breeze it was me, taking a walk and enjoying not riding in a car. I actually enjoyed walking that two mile jaunt.
I think I will walk more often, it gives me a chance to think, it gives me a chance to ponder, and it gives me a chance to listen to God. In the car music or radio commentary distracts my thoughts, walking, without ear buds, does not. I was hot when I got back, but I also realized I was doing what 75% of the world's population does for transportation and it was kind of fun and I felt like I was part of the whole population, hopefully most of them don't wear ties and a long sleeve shirt when they are walking. You don't noticed the heat so much until you come into an air conditioned building.
I also did wave at some folks who were staring at me. I was able to offer others permission to drive through the intersection before I took my chance. And I never had to worry about finding a parking place. It is a good thing to take time out to walk. Try it some time and listen to the Spirit speak to you.
Learning to walk more and be less driven,
Pastor Randy
