I get H.O.A.s. Gated communities, I understand. Predictable living conditions make sense in terms of investments and life-style. For us, living in an old-town, downtown area feels just right. And it's perfectly set up for carless transportation.
Today I met a friend for coffee and a stroll. Honestly, I wanted to stay in sweats at home, lying on the couch reading. Yet socializing provides balance and I enjoy my friend very much. The ambivalence felt like a familiar, easy hurdle, so I went. Bundled in sweats, hair a mess (thank you hat for your cover!), bulky coat on, store fronts reflected a haphazard look as I ambled my way to the coffee shop.
Downtown, I fit right in. Of course my friend got regaled with apologies for my appearance, which she patiently tolerated. Really who cares? On our walk we passed plenty of folks with disheveled hair. And fashion, well, Loveland has a long way to go as compared with, say, Rodeo Drive.
The coffee shop felt a bit haphazard with its mismatched furniture and slightly grimy floor. Some special-needs adults stopped to pet my friend's dog. The apartments, houses and allies felt just on the shabby-side of a comfortably lived-in look. I liked it. I liked walking through it. It felt good that me, in my natural, unmade-up, unplanned outfitted state, slid comfortably along side other people and living conditions also in their natural state. Unpretentiousness, it feels comfortable.
In cars we need to decide where to go. Are we dressed appropriately? Where will we park? Carless transportation renders all those possibilities mute. In the calm wake of walking, despite initial inertia, I truly enjoyed our time together. And we left no carbon footprint. Ahhh....
Made me smile!
ReplyDelete