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Notes from a pedestrian morning

So, one morning last week as I was walking from home to the CFIS studio, I decided to just make notes about the people I saw along the way.

I wasn’t interested so much in the vehicles, as the pedestrians and cyclists. There were not throngs of them on 15th Avenue that morning; there seldom are.

I saw two people with dogs. One of the dogs was a smaller one, full of life, not really pulling on the leash, but definitely happy to be outside and going for a walk with its master. It was running from side to side on the sidewalk, sniffing lampposts, discarded potato chip bags, blades of grass.

The other dog was an older one, somewhat bigger. It was just keeping pace with its owner, not pulling at the leash, but not lagging behind. It too seemed happy to be out and about, it just wasn’t showing the same exuberance.

I passed a number of people walking or jogging in the other direction. I made a point of trying to make eye contact and smiling, saying “Hello.” Some of them were too focused on what they were doing to acknowledge the presence of another person, but most smiled back and said “Hello.”

A couple of cyclists went past me in the bike lane, both of the riders were wearing helmets, I was happy to see,

Then, as I got closer to the studio, a sudden gust of motion went by me. A cyclist, on the sidewalk, no helmet, and obviously no real concern for other people. If I had stepped sideways at that moment, perhaps to avoid a puddle, I suspect there would have been a collision.

And with them riding the bike on the sidewalk, I suspect I know who would be in trouble with the law.

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