Welcome to Pedestrian View

Several years ago, I started running. At first, I could barely go for five minutes without stopping to heave out a lung. Just a few months later, I was running six miles a day. And a few months after that, I was one of those psycho runners who gets up to run at dawn every single day regardless of how miserable the weather is or what shenanigans transpired the night before. But then I hurt my knee, had surgery on it, and - several false starts later - finally accepted that my psycho running days were behind me.

Moving on

It took a while for me to believe people's wild tales of walking for exercise. I mean, come on, I thought. It's walking. But over time I not only realized the physical benefits of walking, but I also came to really enjoy it. No, it doesn't offer the same high as running. But it does give you the chance to slow down and see the world around you from a different perspective. It's almost a blessing that walking can get a little boring (let's be honest - it does drag on a little at times) because it forces you to look around and notice things that you normally might miss.

The "Unique Bed & Breakfast" down the street from the "Unique Nail Shop" and just around the corner from the "Unique Pawn Shop." (I mean, I get why bail bonds places always start with "A," but this I just don't understand.)

The man in the vintage motorcycle waiting to make a left as his bulldog - wearing doggles, a helmet, and a red scarf - looks on.

The woman in the short dress crossing the street. Wait, no, she's a he.

And for someone like me, someone who thrives on discovering the unfamiliar (particularly when the unfamiliar is spectacularly strange), walking leads to opportunity. Each trip creates new and endless opportunities to witness the ridiculous, the bizarre, the amusing, the ironic, and even, on occasion - but admittedly not as often as the bizarre - the uplifting.

A new perspective

And that's what this blog is all about. Sharing my discoveries as I rack up the mileage. It's life - from the pedestrian's view.