Walking In My Neighborhood: The Little Libraries
04/30/2020
JoJo and I go walking in my neighborhood every day.* We don't have a destination in mind. We just head out along the quiet streets and see where our mood takes us. The fresh air is a treat, and it feels so good to get out of the house and move around.
So far, since I started keeping track on March 13, JoJo and I have clocked 125 miles together!
And, yeah. It gets a little boring . . . walking the same streets, day after day (after day after day). I usually listen to a book or a podcast while we walk, which helps make the miles go faster. And it's fun to watch spring unfolding in the neighborhood. Walking these familiar streets also gives me a perfect opportunity to practice mindfulness and pay more attention to the things I see all the time.
For example, I discovered earlier this week that we have THREE Little Free Libraries in the neighborhood. I've known about two of them for a long time now (because I pass them often on my more "regular" routes), but on Monday we took a path I don't usually follow . . . and discovered another!
I always wanted to have a Little Library of my own. My house is on a corner, and we get a fair amount of pedestrian traffic - especially when school is in session. A few years ago, I even looked into getting one set up -- downloaded some plans to have my dad help me build one and everything. But before I could get started . . . a neighbor just down the block put up this one:
It's a cute one -- and the bench is a great addition (although I've never noticed anyone sitting on it). The location is kind of out of the way, and doesn't get as much traffic as my corner, but oh well. They beat me to the punch!
A few blocks away, there's this very creative and well-used Little Library:
This Little Library is in a PERFECT location (much better than mine would have been). It's on a corner on the main road into our neighborhood, and is right on the way to the neighborhood elementary school. I (used to) see kids stopping on their way to and from school all the time to switch out books. This one changes over quickly -- and has puzzles and games in addition to books. Since the stay-at-home order, there is also a neighborhood food swap going on here. (At Christmas time, this Little Library was all decked out with lights and greens. It was so cute!)
So those were the 2 Little Libraries I already knew about. The other day, I changed my route and walked around the neighborhood elementary school and found another one -- right there on the school yard:
How fun is that?!! Little Libraries everywhere!
How about you? Do you have any Little Libraries nearby? And have you ever thought about creating one of your own?
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Be sure to stop in at Carole's for more Three on Thursday posts!
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* Jenny is not completely left out of the dog-walking fun! Now 13, Jenny can't really manage much of a walk anymore. She's deaf and (we're pretty sure) blind in at least one eye and she moves pretty slowly these days -- but she still wants to come walking with us. Tom takes her on a leisurely walk around the block every day (we start out all together, and then JoJo and I veer off on our own) and Jenny LOVES it. At first, she could barely make it a few houses down the road before Tom had to take her back home, but now she's making it all around the block and getting stronger all the time. (See? Exercise IS really good -- even for old folks!)