With our move to Decatur a year and a half ago, our travels have dropped off dramatically. For one, Chloe is now not only in school, which hugely curtails our adventures, but she’s also on the gymnastics team. In addition, finances are tight as we’ve been carrying two mortgages.
Although I’m disappointed about not getting to hit the road as often as we had been in the past, I’m trying to make the most of what we’ve got — we live in a vibrant small city center with access to big city events. I’ve been getting more and more involved in volunteer activities now that I have time to commit to being at home.
This past Sunday, I was up at 6am to walk Phelix (limited travels == ability to have a dog) and then head a few blocks down our street to be a police volunteer for the marathon. I helped with traffic and pedestrians as the marathoners came up to the 13 mile mark.
Rob and Chloe also helped out. Our neighbors across the hall own a running store down the street, and they had a table set up handing out Cutie oranges. Rob and Chloe worked on peeling the oranges and handing them out to runners.
After the race, I got a call on my radio to strip the meters of their “No Parking” signs — Rob, Chloe and I walked up and down Ponce, making it possible for the incoming lunch crowd to find a place to park. What a great feeling it was to be out and about in our neighborhood, pitching in!
