Walking- thank you

I believe that when I first started this blog I talked about why walking is so important to me and that sometimes I really don’t have any other choice but to walk, even if it is to walk to get to the bus stop. And that’s because I have a seizure disorder, or epilepsy. I am fortunate in that my condition is easily controlled by medications. You would never know that I have a seizure disorder unless I told you. But I had a grand mal seizure, the scary type you see in movies and on tv, fifteen years ago and then another one this past September.

I won’t go into the details (and if any of you have seizures I found great comfort reading forums on epilepsy.com and coping-with-epilepsy.com) but the result of this latest seizure, and the first, was that my driving privileges were taken away. And I totally understand that- it takes time to figure out the correct medication to control the seizure and before that time you don’t want to be on the road. No problem. In Arizona, the time is three months; other states might be five or six months. I think in Utah it was five months.

In any case I have been without a car since September. And it’s been no problem. Let me list the reasons why:
1. My husband and friends have been so helpful in getting me places I hardly have to ask- it’s more like: “Cecile, are you going to so and so? Okay. I will pick you up at blank o’clock. See you.” I thought maybe I could lose some of this excess weight I have, but no luck. :)
2. Mountain Line Transit, our bus system, is pretty darn good and thorough. The bus drivers are very kind and helpful. I can get just about anywhere in town and their web site helps me figure out which bus I need to take. My only complaint is that the bus pick up times are spread out so far apart (one hour during the day) that you have to plan very carefully. I know they run on an as needed basis, they don’t have the budget to run more frequently so I understand their limits.
3. I really can walk to many places to get what I need. And it’s good for me.
4. I really don’t need to go to that many places. Sorry shopping centers, but my visits have been seriously curtailed. I plan my visits very carefully.

So a big thank you to my husband and friends for carting me (and my son) around. Thank you to my son for being so patient, and adventurous. Thank you to Mountain Line for providing the bus service. Thank you to the FUTS trails. Thank you to my legs, feet, and, in general, my body, for getting me around. Thank you to the residents who keep their sidewalks clear. And thank you to the drivers who look out for pedestrians. (And thank you for the nice weather we’ve been having lately…)