Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Walking the Dog
It's nice to get back on the bike after a few weeks of snow and frost. The first ride after a few weeks is a revelation.
What I like about the cycle commute is the little vignettes of life that you see, typically an image that you glimpse out of the corner of your eye, that somehow catches your imagination or strikes a chord.
I guess I've also been thinking lately about all the global warming news coverage. It's hard to tell whether this is just the news flavour of the month or if it's going to stick. I claim to have always been aware of the topic. My official job around the house is turning off lights and turning down the heat. So it is interesting to see the rest of the world catching up.
Part of the global warming consciousness involves recognition of your personal footprint in the world, whether it's your personal carbon record, or to take it even further; what the hell am I doing here? Are you still watching those home renovation shows, is your goal still to own that vacation property? If not, what is it you're supposed to do? Is it still true, in this climate of global warming, that whoever dies with the most toys wins?
Getting back to the bike ride, the vignette I caught for split second as I rode by was this:
A perfectly coiffed man in his sixties, walking a white fluffy dog, that seemed to match his hair, a beautiful dark green hunting jacket, very stylish, brown leather gloves, beige tilley hat, seemingly at one with the world. A lifetime of choices culminating in this definitive act of civilization: walking the dog.
PS. I didn't stick around for the scooping.
What I like about the cycle commute is the little vignettes of life that you see, typically an image that you glimpse out of the corner of your eye, that somehow catches your imagination or strikes a chord.
I guess I've also been thinking lately about all the global warming news coverage. It's hard to tell whether this is just the news flavour of the month or if it's going to stick. I claim to have always been aware of the topic. My official job around the house is turning off lights and turning down the heat. So it is interesting to see the rest of the world catching up.
Part of the global warming consciousness involves recognition of your personal footprint in the world, whether it's your personal carbon record, or to take it even further; what the hell am I doing here? Are you still watching those home renovation shows, is your goal still to own that vacation property? If not, what is it you're supposed to do? Is it still true, in this climate of global warming, that whoever dies with the most toys wins?
Getting back to the bike ride, the vignette I caught for split second as I rode by was this:
A perfectly coiffed man in his sixties, walking a white fluffy dog, that seemed to match his hair, a beautiful dark green hunting jacket, very stylish, brown leather gloves, beige tilley hat, seemingly at one with the world. A lifetime of choices culminating in this definitive act of civilization: walking the dog.
PS. I didn't stick around for the scooping.
// posted by Bob Walker @ 4:08 PM 
