Quit wasting your time – and my money

I take a two mile walk as often as I can.   I usually make it about two or three days a week.   As far as walking goes – – I’m in pretty good shape.

I live in Lacey, just a mile or a mile and a half from a major shopping area – – both for groceries, clothes and other supplies.

I could walk easily to these stores – – but I don’t.   I never consider walking to these stores under any circumstances.  I could walk to the store – – but I never think about it.   On those rare occasions when I do think about it – – it just doesn’t make any sense.

Buying something and carrying it back home – – a mile or more – is just out of my realm of thinking.   I couldn’t carry as gallon of milk and a few other things – a mile – without asking myself – what kind of fool am I?

I’m talking about walking – – because our local planners are spending a lot of time and effort to get us out of our cars – – and make this a walkable community.

A walkable community for what?   Tell me the purpose of making this a walkable community.   We already have sidewalks on all major streets and I walk on those sidewalks for exercise.   Children walk to school in my neighborhood  – – and with the sidewalks – it’s a safe place for them to walk.

But – – I’m not going to walk to the store – walk around the store – then carry something as I walk home.  It just doesn’t make any sense.

Walkable communities exist in major cities where people are crunched together in apartment buildings – – with only communal green spaces to let them realize they still reside on a living planet.  Walking makes sense, since shopping is often less than a block away.

Most Thurston County residents live in the suburbs.  We don’t live in major cities and we don’t live in the country.   We live in the suburbs.

City planners are never going to make it possible for me to walk to the store – – never.  So stop trying to make our suburbs – – walkable communities.

I’ll walk for exercise, but I’ll continue to use my car for shopping.

Quit wasting your time – – and my money.