There are very few things I miss about our old home:
- we each had our own walk-in closet
- no yard work
- proximity to friends and my part time job
- it was less than a minute walk from a trail
- all the sidewalks
I’ve talked about this before. Maybe I write this post every time we lose daylight in the fall. But it was so nice to be able to walk out my front door at whatever time in the early morning at the old house and not have to worry about running safety because of all the sidewalks. Sure, I still had to watch out for creepers, and cars acting strange, etc., but my number one worry was not getting hit by a car because I was running in the road in the pitch dark.
Where we live now, there is one sidewalk, a mile and a half from our house, and it’s a mile long. It’s my “safe” running route in the dark and on snowy days. It’s not safe to run to the trail (2 or 2.5 miles away, depending which way I go) when it’s dark – these roads have 45 to 55 mph speed limits. And sometimes it doesn’t feel particularly safe to run to this mile long sidewalk (like today, when a car approached me with its brights on and was blinded and couldn’t see where to jump in to the shoulder).
But! This is not a complaint. I love where we live, and the list of pros far outweigh the list of cons of moving (I mean, that’s the list, up there – 5 things, ha). This is more of an annual fall observation, when I have to really start planning my routes around sunrise and sunset. I’m actually looking forward to DST ending this year, and getting our sunrises an hour earlier, for a while.
I worry about this every time I run at my parents’ house, where the nearest sidewalk is, like, I don’t even know. Probably 2-3 miles away. Granted, there isn’t a lot of traffic out there, and the cars are generally good about giving you a wide berth. But still, after getting used to running on sidewalks/trails, it’s really unnerving to have to run on a shoulder. I never even considered it being a potential danger when I was growing up, since it was all I knew, but now that I’ve run on sidewalks/trails, I definitely don’t feel as comfortable on the shoulder as I used to! Fortunately I only run there once or twice a year, so it’s not a major issue, but it is definitely something I think about when I’m out there.
It sounds like they live somewhat similar to us! And yes, most drivers are nice, and I even have wider new shoulders off of the main road, but I just don’t feel safe, even though I am all lit up!
Makes you notice when neighborhoods plan out their sidewalks. And makes you notice which places have them when you travel, right?
I’m glad you love your “new” house! Isn’t it such a good feeling when a big decision is the right one?
I’m also looking forward to DST, but mostly because I love when it gets dark and I can look at the Christmas decorations for a month. After that, I’m kind of on the fence about it.
Yes! It is!
Oh yes! I love that part too. I love it being dark so early so I can be lazy right after work. Hee hee. I can’t wait to hear about the decorations you see around there!
I am sooo not looking for DST ending. I can already feel the shift as the sun starts to set by 7pm. Wahhhh. I’ll miss not having to drive home from work in the dark!
That is one of the crappy parts. And especially if you have to leave for work in the dark and come home from work in the dark!!!!