Yes indeed

Something that I've been thinking about for a while - that has further polarized since being in Texas - is the variety of thoughts on walking. I've developed a romantic and idealized conception of the act of walking, partly from reading Herzog on Herzog ("In today's society - though it would be ridiculous to advocate travelling on foot for everyone to every possible destination - I personally would rather do the existentially essential things in my life on foot."), and partly because it just makes sense. Good for health, for the environment, for thought and creativity, for visceral experience; and it seems to give more purpose and means to the event in pursuit. I was telling Dad about this developing romanticization of walking, and he brought up a further point: walking exposes one to smells and sounds much more than do closed forms of transport. Smell the french toast and fries, hear the unseen animals sneaking behind trees.

Now, I understand that cars and buses are often essential for time and convenience, but - my god! - life is much sweeter, more passionate, and more intense when you are on foot. I've been walking generally two to three hours a day in Austin, and it feels great. My first thought was that these Texans are crazy for driving everywhere - I don't need to take a bus from the capitol building to West Campus, and I don't need a ride back to the bus stop (but thanks for the offer. You're very kind, if only a little lazy) - but is the rest of the world different? Am I the one who's crazy? Or is it all relative, and simply looks that way?

Do I look crazy - walking parallel to the highway with a lamp in one hand and a fluffy pillow in the other, on my way back to the bus stop from Target? Do I look crazy - accidentally walking through a patch of hornets, getting several stuck in my hair (this is gonna sting...), furiously brushing my hair with one hand, and blindly swatting at my head with the other, while walking in front of a traffic light that - who knows? - may be green? (The answer to the second one is probably yes, but there may be other reasons for that.)

My romantic notion has become perverse....