walk more often

today was a little warmer than usual, considering it’s february. i took the dog for a walk for maybe a half hour… i’m not sure.

i walked my dog today even though it was cold outside! 32 Farenheit, although with the windchill factor it felt like the 20s. It actually wasn’t too bad with my earwarmer headband and scarf and gloves… but by the time I headed back to the house my fingers were numb and my face hurt. anyway, i feel like this was a small triumph considering how bad i am in the cold.

two days ago i walked with my dog to the post office. tonight after coming home from dinner y and i took my dog for a nice long walk. it was really nice to walk leisurely at night, and luckily it was cool (ergo refreshing) but not too cold. the only things missing were stopping for gelato and running into other people taking a walk and chatting with them. ...and i suppose being in italy, for a genuine post-meal passegiata. but still, a quiet town with plenty of sidewalks is still pretty wonderful.

two days ago i walked with my dog to the post office, to take a step in achieving my send-a-letter-every-month goal. on the way back i stopped in the new craft shop in town to look at what classes they were offering. had a nice chat with the woman in the shop, and then she even let me take my dog inside! so i think it was a very good outing for both me and my dog.

yesterday i walked with my dog to the bank and back. i love walking to do errands. i’m lucky to live in a walkable town. with sidewalks! what’s up with towns without sidewalks? it should be mandatory. and maybe bike lanes, too. but definitely sidewalks. maybe it’s not feasable in the countryside, but certainly in the suburbs.

now that the weather has gotten warm, i’ve been taking my dog for walks here and there. not every day, but certainly more often than usual, which is hardly ever. sometimes my boyfriend walks along, too, and it’s truly lovely. we just walk all around our town, taking different routes as much as possible. there are people who have made it their goal to walk every street in manhattan, and have done it. i think it’s totally awesome. i thought, wow, i’d like to do that, too. but for now i think i’ll start small and go for walking every street in the town i already live in. it’s amazing how much you miss if you only drive through. there are streams and secret passageways i never knew about, because as a kid i wasn’t allowed to walk around town by myself. ah, overprotective parents.