My online journal sharing interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
Nothing of the inherent beauty of life will be found in the grasping for life’s gadgets.
Joan Chittister
One of the reasons I come here is because there isn’t much traffic, no sirens. I’m standing in the middle of Weld County Road 90 about a quarter of a mile from the Weld County and Larimer County lines. With no traffic there is no city noise pollution. Instead there are plenty of birds to sing for me and the breeze feels wonderful. Have a wonderful day!
There are days when my inner peace is troubled or just not there. It can be due to the political environment and struggles of our world, a troubled relationship in my life, my weight, a task I really do not want to do, traffic, road construction, money (the lack of it). I could go on but I’m sure you have your own list. Sometimes I find myself thinking I’d have more peace if I did more walking, got more rest, spent more time in prayer and mediation, more solitude, more…. a lack of something? Then at some moment of clarity I stop and laugh at myself. More is not my answer, although this culture wants to convince me it is. I’ve come to realize it’s not the wants that bring peace and serenity but it’s the acceptance and gratitude of what I already have. And, maybe having less will allow more peace, letting go of something(s).
I see this a lot as I await the bus. However, there is something missing in this scene that the image cannot convey, the sound. The noise pollution from traffic is quite loud with a variety of sounds, we just seldom hear them while in our cars. Sit at a bus stop and you will understand how deafening it can be. You will hear tires on the pavement, cars accelerating, squealing fan belts, loud mufflers, loud stereos, sirens, honking and an occasional swearword.
While waiting at the bus stop I met a woman who has not had a car for the past 15 months. Guessing we are about the same age as she bought one of the senior yearly passes. She takes the bus to and from work. She has a pull cart she uses on the bus for grocery shopping. She also does some shopping online, including groceries. She also told me of a service she uses called UBER. There are places in town where it may require changing buses to your destination as many as three times. The drivers are locals who sign up to drive people to locations using their own vehicles. It uses a free app to get a driver. So, this is an interesting concept. I am also intrigued in maybe being a driver.
The automobile is this country’s primary mode of transportation. A study made in February of 2008 shows the national average is 2.28 cars per household. To someone from a foreign country, especially one with limited numbers of automobiles, our traffic flow and amount of congestion, could really confuse them. How do we keep these automobiles all in line? We build massive highways and roads to get us from point A to point B. We post signs to control speed, direction, in hopes of controlling congestion. In this image we at least know this car is going the right way but I’m not so sure about the speed.