A Byrd's Eye View

Walking and Seeing

Well, since my car broke down a week or so ago (and with me looking for a new job right now), I have been doing a lot of walking - walking to the store, walking to the library, walking to the bus stop, walking here and walking there. The world looks a lot different from the sidewalk than it does from the inside of a moving vehicle, that's for sure, and I am enjoying the different perspective. I have also lost a couple of pounds, and that's OK, too.

The inside of a car is pretty much a controlled environment. And here in Los Angeles, we love our controlled environments. Air conditioning keeps away the heat of the sun. Radio or CD creates a cocoon of chosen sound. The windshield puts a slab of glass between us and the rest of the world. The body of my car is like an extended skin, expanding my sense of what is "personal" to include a quiet retreat from whatever is going on "out there". Two weeks ago, I was cruising down these North Hollywood streets at 35 miles per hour, on my way to someplace at a pretty good clip. Now, I am walking and paying more attention to what I see.

The first thing I notice is that I have to be careful where I step, or I might break a bone and have a medical bill. These North Hollywood sidewalks have definitely seen better days. There are plenty of potholes and huge mounds in the pavement where either tree roots have grown up through the sidewalk, or where earthquakes have split the cement. I have to be mindful of where I'm putting my feet, just for safety's sake. Screw Thich Naht Hanh and his lofty mindfulness, I have pay attention or get hurt.

Another thing I have noticed is that my neighborhood is definitely a neighborhood of immigrants. Mostly Spanish-speaking. My housing co-op has a lot of people who are Russian and Armenian, but once you're out on the sidewalks, the shoppers and street vendors and mothers with their baby strollers are all pretty much Latino. This reminds me that I really need to learn Spanish.

Another good thing about walking is that I can always find someone to give away my daily dollar to. If you will recall, I recently wrote about generosity and my practice of giving something away every day:

http://www.fraughtwithperil.com/blogs/byrd/archives/002374.html

Here on the streets of North Hollywood, if you walk a couple of miles a day, you're pretty much guaranteed to run into a homeless person who will appreciate the dollar. That makes my generosity practice easier.

While you're out walking, you can also watch to see what people are doing on a Saturday. My walk to the library takes me past a public park where a league of co-ed kid's soccer teams play on the weekends. Mostly Latino kids, of course. Those Latinos love their soccer. Anyway, this morning I walked past the park just behind a goal which was being guarded by a chunky kid who looked like he'd be sort of slow-moving. But when that ball came at him, WOW! Did he make a quick block! I was really amazed at how fast he moved! I clapped for him and called out "way to go!" Dad was on the sidelines clapping and calling out in Spanish. Not only will that kid be physically fit, he'll also be bilingual -- a good start in life. Now, if I had been in my car, I would have been singing along with the radio and missed that.

Well, that's all for now. I have some real writing to do (i.e., I'm working on a book proposal, but I can't tell you what it is. Don't worry, it has nothing to do with Buddhism.)

Enjoy your weekend, all - be healthy, be alert, be cool

Byrd in LA

Posted by wahzoh at April 19, 2008 10:35 AM