Grandma Ism

So now that I go outside and walk, I've started to actually notice a whole lot more about the world around me. Part of this is a survival thing. I'm not graceful and I'm really trying not to fall on the pavement. With this in mind, I pay attention to the loose rocks and the broken bits of pavement. I not where the grass clippings might be slick and certainly where the flowers dropped from the bushes might trip me. Oh, and I always look for animal poo.That might not make me fall, but it does make life quite stinky.

In a more pure way, I've started noticing other things as well. Our neighbors now have a fountain and it's fun when I get close enough to hear the trickle of the water. I like watching the day to day breakdown of the bits of plants that fall onto the driveway. It's interesting to watch the little birds hop around. This hasn't been as much of a thing this year, but last year we had an abundance of dragonflies and it was really great to see their various colors. It's also amusing to watch the outdoor cats scurry from place to place.

In a less than pure way, I'm starting to act like my grandma. Grandma would walk the neighborhood and take notes of what was happening with the neighbors. Then she would come home and call me to tell me all about it. My roommate and I have a theory  that one of the reasons she kept up with her walking was so she could gain said information. It was a perk of the exercise.

I didn't realize I was doing this, not at first. I would walk and just innocently mention things I saw . . . like a bird or a pretty flower or . . . 'the fact that the neighbors parked their car in a strange spot. I wonder why they did that? It's odd. Why would they do that?' I didn't mean any malice by it. I was actually just curious. AND yet, here I was, doing the same thing Grandma used to do. I would notice if they were home. I would notice if their yards had a strange smell . . . I would note when the strange smell went away. It was getting bad.

This morning, when I walked past my next door neighbors' house and kind of found myself kind of straining to see WHERE they got pizza from . . . because it was trash day and they had a pizza box out and I was just curious . . . I knew this had to stop. I am becoming my grandmother when I walk. That can't happen. It just honestly can not.

Tomorrow when I walk, I'm going to make note of any hazards. I'm going to look at the birds and the flowers. I'm going to make sure I don't get stung by that evil wasp out there. And that is all I am going to do. I'm not going to pay attention to my neighbors. I'm not going to look at their houses or their cars. I'm going to mind my own business and walk like a decent person.  See, even exercise has moral lessons.