"Earth day" and all it's benefits to nature and nature of quandary...

I asked the young man pedaling the transport bike how much he charges?  He responded that it was based on a tip level and generally people pay about ten dollars.   I thought about his answer before making my decision whether or not to take a ride on his bike and get home quicker and not having to walk all the way home after "Earth Day Fest".   My two dogs would also have to be transported, and I did not know how they would react on this ride.  They love car rides, but this was a little different than a car  ride.  It was almost like the horse and buggy,  that existed here in historical times before the automobile.   It's hard to imagine Beacon Hill with no cars, trucks, cabs, livery rides, hospital buses, the ride, transportation of any sort and with the streets filled with different sorts of people with attire from that century.  I hear the history everyday from the tourist group across the street through my window about the famous alley located off of Revere Street.

Eventually, I had decided not to take the ride since the bike man was not thrilled about biking up the hills, even if I knew the short-cuts and how to walk through more flat streets than up hilly ones.  Plus, it would have been just a confusing, chaotic scene with my two dogs and then having to make an A.T.M. stop.  As tired as I was, I made my way on the back streets and surprisingly found myself with a tourist kind of gaze in my eyes!  There are many buildings hidden on the back streets with amazing architecture not always seen walking down the main streets.  The brick work so fine in detail, the windows with garden views and a gorgeous rendition of the city and the doors could have been freshly painted yesterday.  It felt like I was in another part of the city but it was only down the street from where I live.  Surely, there is fine architecture around my area, but  my daily routine walk has made everything around me a regular everyday observance rather than a initial gaze of amazement on every corner. 

Which brings me back to my coming home from "Earth Day" over the Hatch-shell, Esplanade area.  It was one of those city events which draws in many crowds, and there are few empty grass areas.  Mostly every square inch of grass is covered by either tents of sponsors for the event, or  lines and lines of people, and  food vendors.  Everyone is waiting to find out what each organization is contributing to Earth Day, and how they take steps to play a role in saving the environment.  Free goodies and canvas bags also lure in many people and give people a reason to stand in long lines.  It is nothing short of amazing that the city is able to host these events along with many others at the same time!  They all serve a great purpose and contribute to organizations who promote, good health, clean environment, and a cohesive message to everyone who participates. 

Earth day is the message that motivates me to make my way back home.  As I make my way back, I swap cordial weekend greetings with familiar neighbors and dog owners.  We are very lucky to have such a friendly welcoming kind of neighborhood and that aspect doesn't require a special event.  Sometimes, we share stories with our neighbors and inform them about an event that we just happened to attend.  I admit, I did not have a scheduled plan to participate in Earth Day, and I'm not one to camp out on the lawn for hours just to have a prime spot near the stage.

I do take small walks around the neighborhood twice a day for my dogs, but there are days when I would be willing to pay any amount, within reason for someone to walk my dogs.  Although, a dog walker is not in my budget, so my lucky friends sometimes end  up walking my dogs and then by default become a part of the great dog community that exists here. 

"Earth day" does bring people together with a strong message to consider the planet by taking small steps to be "green".  Making my way back yesterday from "Earth Day", I came across neighbors who asked me how it was?  I wanted to be a good neighbor and recommend the event to everyone that I came in  contact and conversation with along the way, the reality though is I felt like I just passed another step on the island of "Survivor". 

So the message is to be prepared for mass populations with that confusion and try to be be respectable when someone suddenly accidentally bumps into you, but my favorite issue that tests my will and tolerance is the shouting person who is telling you to "get in line!".  I quietly and politely tell myself that I want to be friendly to the environment, but I wish the crowd could be environmentally and people friendly.

However, there is a beautiful voice outside my window this morning of someone playing the guitar so that makes up for yesterday's struggle...