The Other Side of the Street

The allure of a hot dog stand and the lack of lunch in my stomach tempted me to cross the street as I was walking home from my dance lesson yesterday afternoon.

The hot dogs were $4.00. I had $2.00. So I kept walking and my detour didn't cost me a penny. But I reaped the benefits of an entirely different perspective as I continued to walk home on the 'wrong side of the street'.

The world looks so different when you take an ordinary occurrence and turn it around. I know that a lot of people are much more adventuresome than I and would have made this discovery some time ago. Not me. I like routine, ruts, same, same, same. It may add extra minutes onto the walk that I am 'timing' if I add a detour. Since I am intent on beating the clock and cutting down on the time it takes to walk the walk, I keep walking the same path.

What do I see as I am walking? I notice the street signs as I try to race to the half way point to my destination. I notice the traffic lights as I race to beat a red light. I notice the cars that are waiting for me to cross the street and other cars that have crept too far into the intersection as I try to walk in the designated 'crosswalk zone'.

I have noticed the smells of spring. They are not all good. But now that the trees are flowering there is sometimes a lingering scent wafting in the air that beats the smell of rotting garbage that permeated the air a few weeks ago.

I notice the people that I must pass on the street. Most notable are those that are smoking outside the bar/restaurant on my way home. I take note of those people more when it is getting later in the day. I notice the people that I walk past. But most of all, I noticed the lady that gained an entire city block on me as I walked in her dust on the last leg of my trek home one day.

But do I really see the sights? Do I stop and smell the roses (I sure smelled something, but it wasn't roses!)? I notice the way yards are set up ... houses that catch my eye ... but do I really focus on anything that I wouldn't see if I was driving?

I did notice one lone gopher. The first gopher I had seen all year. He looked lonely as he chirped a regular signal to his friends. I think he was saying "Where has everybody gone??" I wondered the same thing until one block later I noticed a sign warning that an area of public grass had been sprayed. Sprayed with something to deter the gopher population. Suddenly I felt very badly for this lonely gopher.

I guess I do notice a few things. Most of this is on a subconscious level as I walk the same path time and again. Even though I'm not the most astute when it comes to absorbing the details as I walk these city streets, I still appreciated the vantage point from the other side of the street.

Next time? I do believe that I will go out on a limb and walk the other direction on the other side of the street.

Evel Knievel ... watch out. This Canadian daredevil is on her way!