Travel by Foot

While I've spent a good bit of my life walking, I have not tried to walk every single day in quite some time. But I've always believed firmly in this, and one or more of my parents instilled this belief in me from the time I could stand on my two legs, that walking is one of the best things a person can do for the body. It's an exercise that's good for your heart, your circulation, your mood, and it doesn't put any unnecessary strain on various parts of your body like other types of exercise can. After walking every day for a series of eight weeks recently, I have noticed a pattern. People and animals feel territorial when you walk by their houses, with one exception: the drunken college student neighbor, otherwise a stranger, who invites you up for a drink because it's his friend's birthday. The territoriality was evidenced in the frequency of questions I received about whether I was lost, and by the dog that bit me when I walked in front of its house on the opposite side of the street. My co-worker walked in the seemingly friendly neighborhood behind our office, and received comments from one of the residents several days in a row about whether she needed or wanted a ride somewhere. After the dog bite, I decided to seek out the mundane, flat areas specifically set aside for walking. There, no one asked you if you were lost, were looking for someplace in particular, needed help, or needed a ride, and no one bit you, which otherwise translate to: I definitely think you do not belong here. I probably would have gotten fewer questions about what I was doing if I had a dog in tow (on leash) with me. I decided that the circular track I had always resisted was a respite for peaceful exercise. Other people on the track were there for the same reason, and no one questioned or challenged my presence there. It's unfortunate and disturbing that I can't feel OK about taking a walk in my own seemingly safe, family-friendly neighborhood.