Daily Constitutional

Almost every weekday morning I walk fifteen minutes down a long street to catch the buses I need to get where I'm going. Most afternoons I get off at that same stop and walk the same route home.

I'm can be the kind of person who needs to change my routine frequently. When I was a gardener in charge of the maintenance of various houses, I'd frequently have to switch up the order in which I watered all their plants, just so I wouldn't go out of my mind with the sameness of my trajectory.

And so, it's funny to realize, that after months now, I still am happy walking up and down the same street. I could certainly vary it up and take other routes to get to the bus stop. At times I change my path in little ways, but nothing significant.

It just seems that every day there's some new detail to observe. And when I take pictures they help me to remember and continue appreciating the old details at the same time.

Walking Here & There

Monday
Originally uploaded by Blue Dragonfly Girl

Although I got my International Driving Permit today, I don't anticipate trying to drive much (or at all) in Brazil, especially in the city...I just figured that the permit would be one of those useful, just-in-case pieces of paper to carry around and add weight to my purse...

Later, after a lot of driving around running errands, my boyfriend and I stopped by REI to see if they might have a smallish shoulder bag that would fit my picky standards (verdict: maybe). I felt desirous of entering Anthropologie next door but didn't want to subject my boyfriend to the torture (or perhaps myself to being around someone rational who would tell me, "No, you don't need that!"). I suggested he could drive home and I'd walk back...after a tour of BookPeople (for MadLibs for my boyfriend's niece and nephews) and perhaps a quick glance in the ridiculously priced clothing store nearby.

And so after finding the MadLibs and then some indulgent shopping in the sale racks of Anthropologie, with a white paper bag and tissue paper covering my unnecessary purchases, I found myself walking home...I chatted on my cell phone to my grandma, watched the sky turning pink, felt little drops of threatening rain on my face and neck, dashed across busy intersections, felt my cheeks flush with the quick pace I was keeping and watched the world around me...I was reminded how much I enjoy walking and sadly, how little I do it. Some of the best pictures I've taken have usually been found while strolling about and just looking around.

Depending on how pedestrian-friendly PoA is, I may later recant this statement, but, in the current moment, I'm looking forward to being car-less in 11 days time and getting the chance to explore a new city by foot. Which really, in my opinion, is the best way to get to know where you are.