Has anyone noticed that nobody takes the time to meander anymore? There is never the carefree afternoon just wandering around someplace you've never been, taking the time to just walk around doing nothing, taking the thrilling risk of getting mildly lost so you don't make it back in time for dinner.
It seems to me like the good and noble art of meandering is dying out of our society. There's always The Plan, and then maybe a backup plan if The Plan didn't quite work out the way it was expected to. Not only that, but there has to be a plan for transportation to and from The Plan and everybody involved has to spend at least an hour figuring out how everyone's going to get there (don't forget to plan an hour before you're supposed to be there for everyone to wait for everyone else to show up so they can leave already). Even tourists, it seems, who have the world before them and all the time they need (at least for the extent of their vacation) cannot meander. They have their precious itineraries all planned out so they can see all the sights in their short vacation time, going through everything too quickly to enjoy much.
But let us not forget how to meander. Let us take the time one weekend to get off the train a stop early, just to see what's there. Spend a few hours on a nice Sunday afternoon getting lost and finding all sorts of things you would never have known about otherwise, like that little bakery that has pretty good hot chocolate or the local play that will be going on next weekend. Take the time to meander, and live.
I don't meander in the winter- it's too cold! However, in the spring, summer, and fall?! Meandering is the best way to get someplace!
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