As I am auto-less, I spend a lot of time walking around and on one of my walking episodes the other day, I made several observations.
First: Where are all the squirrels?!? I miss them. Before I moved, a year and a quarter ago, I lived in this great place where on any given day, I'd randomly encounter rabbits, deer (did you know deer will hiss and stamp if they feel threatened?), wild turkeys, and squirrels. Lots of squirrels. Now, I walk through downtown and there is nothing. Absolutely nothing. I once saw a duck in a reflection pond. And there are pigeons. But that's it. I miss wildlife in my city.
Second: How is it that the US doesn't resemble musicals? So you've got everyone walking around talking on phones or listening to their tunes, and I personally don't understand how it is that more of us aren't breaking out into song and dance en route from point A to point B. Seriously. If I'm listening to music while I walk, I am very hard pressed not to sing along. Or dance while waiting at the stoplights. Anyone else having this problem?
Third: I often grab my camera when I'm walking around, even if I'm walking to a specific place. You never know when you're going to see something cool--like a rabbit or an angry deer or a dancing pedestrian--to photograph. And because I'm old school and use an actual camera instead of my phone, I look like a tourist. A lot. When I was in Atlanta, I found myself pulling out my camera and wearing it around my neck just to save time, and I knew I looked like a tourist, but the funny thing was, I do that in my own town. I do it everywhere, whether I'm visiting or not. I'm sure everyone in my city thinks I'm some weird tourist and then they probably wonder why I'm carrying groceries. But, no, I actually live here. And I have no plans to change my behavior.
So, if you ever see a stranger dancing on the street corner while taking pictures of squirrels, wave hello. It's probably me.
