An Adventure in 15 minutes or Less

Being that I work deep within the bowels of corporate America in a maze of cubicles, which viewed from above would look like a waffle maker fit for Paul Bunyan, I crave the living natural world while chained to my desk. My two guppies, Walden and Mr. Miagi, help as they swim around their gold fish bowl around a plastic bonzai tree. (Someday I'll bring a picture. Last month we celebrated our 1 year anniversary together.) My plant, which thrives on their waste water, is also a minor balm for my ailment. The overwhelming grayness of everything else, though, and sheer raw boredom are a bit too much for these friends to combat though.

It's actually interesting to stand up and watch the disembodied heads floating betwixt the sea of cubicles. They are a real picture of just how disengaged we are from so much that matters and "the real." Don't worry, I'm trying to suppress the bitterness with joys large and small. A little bitterness is like a little arsenic in your water.

Anyhow, these last 2 days I've really enjoyed a nice walk during my afternoon break. It's been a bit chilly in the teens w/a breeze, but a comfy hat makes everything cozy. Yesterday I just completed a simple circumnavigation of the big box on dirty pavement through endless parking lot. I loved it, but todays hike was even better. It was windy with constant snow falling, but it was the kind of snow that falls all day but never accumulates anywhere except on your windshield. Once again, the hat is the key to comfort. All you naysayers of winter need to not worry about your hair so much and put on a hat. Perhaps that'll be a topic some other day.

Back to my adventure, I decided to bushwhack through the woods and up over the rise. The huge building I work at is actually on the edge of my city in the northwoods. Well a little bumbling through woods then brought me to a cross country ski trail, which I was shocked had actually been groomed for skate skiing. This has been a terrible snow year, so this is impressive. The whole experience was so relaxing, and I was winded a bit too. I was even inspired to write my name in the snow for the first time this year, and with excellent penmanship! I bet I was the only white collar worker in the country to partake in this ritual today, and twas so unique because I work in a huge corporate setting with about 1000 other pawns (each with their very own 9 digit employee id). This whole time I didn't have a watch. I never carry one. Yet I managed to return to my desk with 31 seconds to spare!!! Yes, everything is watched pretty closely.

Dove

So the three of you reading this have got to read this book. It is amazing and captivating. I've been pretty obsessed with it actually these past few days and plan on running out to find the National Geographic issues back in the late '60s and early '70s that feature this true story. It's about the youngest person to ever sail solo around the world; 16 year old Robin Graham (semi colon or colon appropriate here? I hate semi-colons.). He sails old school too without any modern equipment such as GPS, but uses a sextant and charts to plot his position daily.

There are several crazy moments in monster storms while he bobs around in his teeny 24 foot boat, but it's not primarily about sailing around the world. It's more about all the places and people he meets, especially his wife who was also a drifting discontented baby boomer who Robin met in the Fijis. Neither one of them wanted settle for conformity in a plastic world, and the story is inspiring for us all. It's a reminder never to lose that child like wonder and naivete of the world and its creator. Most of us lose it over time. Tis a pity.

A Walk Through the Neighborhood

Virtually everyone reading this column is aware of the benefits reaped by the local economy when we buy our goods through locally owned small businesses. The big box corporate retailers, of course, take their profits back to their headquarters in distant lands much like the old East India Company of the colonial days.

Though this is common knowledge, these retail powerhouses continue to thrive and grow over the hill from Duluth, as evidenced by the soon to be constructed Super Wal-Mart in Hermantown. Clearly people in our area need to get the best deal they can to survive on our small incomes, and this is understandable. However, I would like to encourage the use of local businesses for what they can do for you, and not as some sort of charity.

I live in an older neighborhood among homes just oozing with character that are between 80 and 100 years old. It is a pleasing walk through this old neighborhood with children playing on every block and among the enormous maple trees pushing up sidewalks as they provide ample shade. Within a half-mile of my house I am able to purchase a fair amount of my household’s necessities and run a few errands.

My favorite stop is the local hardware, which has a surprisingly large selection. I get amazing service at this 3/4ths of a century old fixture in the community. The staff greets me by name, and they are experts in just about everything. I walk in there with a befuddled look on my face and tell them I need some sort of round dealio to fit over the oblong thingamajig to take care of such and such, and they lead me to the exact location of said obscure object. Knowing I am short on money, they tell me that an inexpensive option will work fine for what I need.
I constantly go there for help with problems in my aging fixer upper, and when I moved here I wasn’t handy at all. As each project has presented itself they provide me with loads of free advice without any condescension while helping me find what I need in ten minutes or less.
Time is a valuable commodity. It is not always necessary to drive up over the hill for the pleasure of fighting crowds while aimlessly pushing a massive Hummer-sized shopping cart through aisles bursting with merchandise towering over my head.

Instead I promenade through our enclave to the beat of my own self-satisfaction for single-handedly saving our local economy and the future of our neighborhood businesses. Heck no! I enjoy the short stroll to get what I need and get home with enough time left on a Saturday to get my project done and still spend some quality time with my family.

Furthermore, in that big box hardware you inevitably spend more money as you fill that cart up with more basement fodder than you need. The drive home then provides time for buyer’s remorse and stewing in grumpiness. When I leave the local hardware, in contrast, I have an inevitable smile on my face. My dog also departs with a smile because they give him some love and a tasty treat. If there are only about 4 Saturday’s a month, why in the world would you spend them in your car driving to distant retailers receiving what is seemingly the worst service possible (only to have it bested the next time you go)?

Returning to our walk, 75 feet to the east brings us to the post office, which has been staffed by the same friendly gentleman for many years. A quick saunter from there allows us to pick up some necessary items at the pharmacy, rent a video, and buy a couple yummy donuts for a price disproportionate to the pleasure they provide as we continue on our stroll. Shucks, there’s even a home and garden gift shop, barbershop, chiropractor, Sammy’s Pizza, and several other small businesses on the main drag
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The best part is that while we get some necessary shopping done, our family enjoys a nice walk together. We return home in high spirits as we had the opportunity to enjoy our community every step of the way. I’m also convinced that we spend less money because we buy what we can carry between us and stash in the stroller.

I have always considered the option of living in the country to be ideal, but living here these last couple years is slowly causing me to reconsider. It is wonderful to be a part of an outstanding community being blessed with nice neighbors and a variety of welcoming small businesses.
Most of us are not going to stop patronizing the big boxes cold turkey and that is fine. Please consider enjoying more of your local businesses though, because they offer you the savings of time, torture, torment, and occasionally even money. These places are run by people who enjoy their customers and are passionate about what they do. I have a feeling that for most folks an enjoyable day off from the salt mines doesn’t include an hour of driving around and several more fighting a sea of strangers as you all race each other to check out lines as if they were so many toll booths.