Gone walking

I’m a walker. Always have been…until Cyprus. I’ve blamed it on my total lack of sense of direction in a new land, my pregnancy (can’t use that one anymore) and all summer I’ve used the extreme heat as my latest de-motivator. Until today. With stroller, spare diapers, camera and my most positive attitude in tow I headed out the door at 9:30 this morning with promises of making this the new morning ritual. Now, as most will agree, I didn’t always see just how lucky I was to spend a year and a half in Helsinki. Well all that changed when I got about one block away from my house today. First of all, don’t even think about being handicapped in Nicosia. Those little ramps on and off the sidewalks of most everywhere in the world just haven’t caught on here apparently. And I guess olive and lemon trees were given precedence too, as most houses have at least one growing right smack in the middle of their “so-called” sidewalk. Car parking on – not along - sidewalks is another Cypriot favorite so you’re basically better off walking on the road, except there you risk your life because even though they do drive on the “wrong” side of the road in terms of right-side, left-side, they just drive on the wrong side of the road ALL the time. Coming around corners you never know which side of the road you’ll find them turning on. Helsinki on the other hand had miles of walking and biking paths and you would find just as many pedestrians as you would vehicles year-round. No shit, Tara and I once spotted a guy biking with chains on his tires through the snow! Rainy, dreary windy days, dark cold winter days, and of course, the fleeting warm midnight-sun days of summer were all the same to those guys – out they go – which makes me see just what pussy’s the rest of us are when it comes to weather and being outside. So, as I thought about all this on my walk today, I made a few decisions. First of all, Helsinki was pretty damn cool and I take back anything negative I may have once implied to my time there. Secondly, no matter what weather, lack of walkway or extreme temperatures encountered here, I am up for the challenge. And lastly I vow to live this and every moment with gratitude and wonder, for today, for the right now, to decide that deciding to see it good is all that it takes to make it good. You see, I realized that those messed up sidewalks and cars all over were really a gift of reflection and an opportunity to slow down and take a good look at things. So, go take a nice slow walk today and look around. You may be surprised at what you really see!