Bits Of Babbling

Walk Forrest, Walk

Last night, Meags and I watched a couple of movies. The first was Star Wars Episode II, the second Forrest Gump. It has been a while since I've seen either movie, particularly so for Forrest Gump. At any rate, as you well know, Forrest loves to run. He is a simple man with simple needs and having spent his childhood with movement impairing leg braces, the sudden discovery that he could run (and run quickly) led to him running everywhere for a while. After he settled down with his lifelong sweetheart for a while, only to have her leave him, he decided to go for a little run. Then that little run slowly got longer and longer till it became a multi-year ordeal covering several thousand miles across many states. All because he just felt like running and had nothing better to do.

Today I felt like walking.

Meags and I slept in a bit late since we stayed up pretty late last night watching movies. Then we had a great little breakfast around noon, and before we knew it time had whittled itself away to 2:30. Time for Meags to go to work. We began to don layers of armor for the impending battle against the cold's frozen onslaught.

Scarf [ √ ]
Hat [ √ ]
Jacket [ √ ]
Gloves [ X ]

I didn't quite realize I'd forgotten to grab my gloves till we'd already locked up the door and gone a good 20 feet. "Meh, I'll be ok without them, I can just stick my hands in my pockets," I said. I'd later learn to regret this comment.

We made the familiar journey down the sidewalk, across the street, by the convenience store, down the long hill upon which Acadia University is built, and into the heart of town where Meags' place of employment resides. I kissed her goodbye and told her I'd meet her there when her shift ends at 10:00. Absentmindedly I took a few steps further into the heart of Wolfville before I realized Meags' apartment was the other way! I promptly turned around and walked to the corner, on a whim I chose to turn right rather than cross the street.

I decided I felt like walking. I wanted to explore. It was -5° C (23° F) outside, yet this Texan decided his shoes were made for walking and thats just what he'd do.

I walked down a bit and hung another right - a veritable U-turn for those keeping track - and walked along the rear entrances to the stores on the main drag. I kept going till the road forced me to turn left or right and decided to go right yet again, my new goal was to see just how far Main Street's sidewalk went. A quick left at the Tim Horton's and I was on my way to adventure into unknown territory, my own Forrest Gump quest in search of nothing. I just wanted to walk.

It didn't take long before the steady stream of stores turned into a multitude of humble abodes. There was the occasional Bed & Breakfast, an Inn, a Church, etc... but for the most part this part of town was clearly residential. This did not deter my walking, I decided that so long as there was sidewalk I was going to progress. I didn't even have a clue where this road would take me if I went far enough. Was I going North? South? East? West? Up? Down? Cross-Dimensionally? I hadn't a clue.

I passed one older woman who from a distance appeared to be a large, green, lumbering mole-like creature thanks to some funky boots, layers upon layers of clothing, and large black sunglasses. We exchanged a quick and pleasant hello and continued along our opposite paths. I would later encounter her on my way back as well, again exchanging pleasantries and continuing.

Finally after about half an hour of walking, I reached the end of the sidewalk. The end of the sidewalk falls right near an apartment complex soon found a strange, frozen Texan taking a stroll down its empty streets. Ordinarily I would have just down another abrupt about-face and headed back, but it felt kind of funny to do it right in front of a hitchhiker who was directly across the street, he was watching me with beady Canadian eyes. Just as I departed the apartment complex he grabbed his two bags and headed exactly one drive-way down the road before he decided to stick his thumb out again. That man will be taking a long time to get wherever he is going if he only moves 10 feet or so every 5 / 10 minutes.

Since I ran out of sidewalk, I began walking home. The journey back was a bit more boring since I'd already seen everything I passed. It also seemed a bit colder though I hadn't changed my pace. (It is worth noting that I walk at an above average speed. This comes in handy when it is cold outside as it generates a decent amount of heat I found) I figured out that I had been walking toward Halifax on my wayward journey as I passed another hitchhiker bearing a sign to let friendly drivers know he wanted them to think of him when they arrived in Halifax.

Once I was back into the heart of Wolfville, I decided that after two visits to Canadia I should finally purchase some Timbits at Tim Hortons. How am I to blend in with the natives if I've never eaten a single Timbit? $1.50 later and I was the proud owner of 10 Timbits of assorted varieties from "plain" to "chocolate" to some others which I can't quite recall.

I stepped back outside the Tim Hortons and began to walk back toward Meags' apartment when I quickly discovered the flaw in my plan. I was carrying a small box of Timbits and not wearing any gloves. My hands can not be warmly tucked away in the comfort of my jacket if they are holding a Canadian delicacy. Or Timbits. The journey home was filled with much switching of which hand was allowed warth and which was destined to be frozen, clentching a box of Timbits whose appeal was now in rapid decline. During the 10 - 15 minute walk up the hill I probably did the hand-switching act at least 6 times, probably more. It was cold.

I hadn't really been plauged with much cold or exhaustion up until I had reached that hill. The stupid Timbit fiasco reminded my whole body that it really should be inside a heated environment rather than pointlessly walking about, and the hill reminded my legs why walking an hour and then venturing up a long hill isn't very fun. I suppose I can't complain too much about my load though, a fellow pedestrian who must really like his beer was out there struggling to carry 24 bottles of Budweiser up the hill. I was a bit suprised by this, mostly suprised that it wasn't a Canadian beer though.

Once back at the apartment, I set the blasted Timbits down, stripped out of the cold clothing, and had a nice, long, steaming hot shower. I enjoy a good shower and this was a good shower. Not only did the shower warm me up, but with the aid of some shampoo it fixed the bad, bad, bad case of hat-hair I had developed. I'm glad I never wear hats save to protect my head from blistering cold, hat hair is evil.

And thus ended my journey, sometimes it is nice to just get out and walk.

Posted by Michael at January 15, 2005 03:47 PM