Urban Living in East Nashville

Urban life in East Nashville is great. I'm hanging at Bongo Java East where I come often for a sweet cup of coffee or chai tea, breakfast or lunch. Of course, I walk the couple of blocks from home to here. Or I come to study for class for a change of scenery and to be with the other cool kids reading, blogging or simply visiting here. If I want to find a snappy dress, scarf or bag, I just walk around the corner and see my friends Bill and Donna at Allegria in the Shops on Woodland, where there's always fun and fashion mixed together. When I get hungry, I can walk a couple of blocks the other way to The Turnip Truck East to pick up some organic deliciousness, my favorite chocolates or something healthy for dinner. Then I hop (yes, I hop) across the street to Woodland Wine Merchant to see Tyler and the gang and grab a bottle (or two) of my favorite Chardonnay to accompany dinner. If I'm not in the mood to cook, I love to grab a slice of pie at Five Points Pizza to take home or enjoy there with a friend and a cold one.

Of course, there are less trendy spots in the 'hood to grab necessities and toiletries like your neighborhood Family Dollar Store, where you are assured an adventure after you walk in and hear the overhead speaker warn you that 'for your safety and protection, your movements are being monitored'. Or my favorite Bill Martin store, which has been here for years and updated (outside only) to fit in with the trendier stores. If I need Jiffy cornbread mix or just plain old baking soda, Bill's my guy. But I went there once for spinach and after searching among the 'fresh' vegetables unsuccessfully, I asked the clerk if they carried spinach, to which she replied incredulously 'Frozen!', like, who eats it any other way. Yes, I admit, I take the bus to Green Hills to the famous Whole Body and Trader Joe's at least once a week, but I'm thrilled to live in East Nasty where we have all the amenities of suburban life with much more flare and variety. Never a dull moment, and I love it! Coming to visit soon?

Just Walking...

I've come to realize more often than not that walking soothes me. Walking provides more than a means to get from one place to the next. It is a time for reflection, and give me perspective and direction while keeping my body and mind in motion. I enjoy being car-less not only because I find riding the bus interesting (to say the least) but because I am forced to walk more, plan my destinations, and save money at the same time. I've mentioned often how much I appreciate the health, financial and mental benefits of walking, biking or riding the bus to destinations. From time to time, I have to remind myself of why I've chosen to make Nashville my own little 'New York' in terms of transportation, and I've recently appreciated (again) that it comes down to just walking. I really do enjoy just walking...

Stress-free and Carefree

Getting off the bus at my stop, I noticed a young man exiting at the same time. He was walking in the same direction as I, and after he placed his book in the library after-hours drop box, I decided to strike up a conversation (readers are cool, right?) I asked about the book he had just returned, whether it was a good read or not. He admitted he kept the book way past the due date trying to get into it, but the book never caught his interest, despite being written by one of his favorite authors.

As we walked the next block, we both agreed one of the great things about riding the bus was having time to read. We could also agree on how relaxing it is to get to a destination without being stressed over traffic or parking. Then my new bus buddy, Jake, admitted 'I just hate driving, that's all!' He shared that being driven, even if on the bus, was a bit of a treat, stress-free, and dare I say, carefree! And that besides the bus, there are other creative ways to get around Nashville without driving, or by driving less. He is also a bike commuter and avid walker, so getting around the driving thing is not a problem for him. As he walked a block past my destination, I thought about how nice it was to meet a young person with such an open perspective.

As I've said before, being car-less is not for everyone, but if more people considered alternatives to driving everywhere, would there be a little less pollution and traffic and more people becoming physically active? I believe so, and Jake and I are proof being car-less can lead to being a little more carefree. Try it for yourself and see...

Keep Walking

Today when I left work headed to school, I thought about walking, as I often do, but also thought I would catch a bus headed that way if available. So, I started walking, looking behind me every block or so to see if the bus was coming. As I got further along, I passed several bus stops with people waiting for the same bus I was on the lookout for. Seeing those waiting people reminded me of how frustrated my ex-husband would become when I wanted to walk instead of waiting, knowing the bus would eventually catch up with me. He would rather wait for the bus, and would ask, 'Why do you have to constantly be on the move? Can't you just sit here and wait?'

As I walked and remembered those conversations, I realized that our differing perspectives on waiting for the bus versus moving ahead toward the destination may have an impact on why we are no longer married. There's nothing wrong with patiently waiting for something expected, whether a bus or a desired goal. However, if you can work toward the destination while waiting, isn't that a better option? Today, as I kept walking, I was able to decompress from my workday, mentally change gears from work to school and get in 20 minutes of brisk walking. Along the way, I passed several cars stuck in heavy traffic that would have further delayed the bus had it ever arrived. So, I don't regret not waiting for the bus today, nor do I regret not waiting to work toward other destinations in life. We do have to be patient, but we can be walking toward our goals while waiting.

My Bike Guy

I took my bike to East Side Cycles for a tune up and the young man who helped me has also chosen to be 'car-less' in Nashville. When I asked him to share his story, he explained his choice stemmed from LA traffic over 8 years ago. While sitting in traffic trying to make the less than 10 mile commute to work that routinely took him over 30 minutes, he saw a bicycle wiz by him. Right then, he made up his mind that cycling to work would take less time and had to be less stressful. Needless to say, he was correct.

Then, he took his trusty bike to be repaired, and decided he could keep the bike repaired himself and save even more time and money. He not only taught himself to be a bike mechanic, but he started working for a bike repair shop, gave up his car and has since moved to Nashville. He commutes all around Nashville using his bike, and now he's my go to guy to keep my bike in good repair. He's also helping me as I shop for a new bike to kick my bike commuting into high gear. Nice to know there are many others who have found alternative ways of getting around Nashville. More to come...

Motherly Advice

A little over six months ago, I noticed a woman on the bus who reminded me very much of my dear mother who I lost 3 years ago. Her beautiful smooth skin, bright eyes and cheery smile were strikingly similar. And this woman even had the same hairstyle as my mother and her style of dress also reminded me of her. I must have stared at her for at least 10 minutes, reminiscing on how beautiful my mother was and how much I miss her. Well this woman noticed that I was staring at her and struck up a conversation. I told her how much she reminded me of my mother, which started a discussion about family, raising children and memories of loved ones.

I saw her again on the bus today, and she looked radiant and positive, as always. She asked me about my son and then, seemingly out of the blue, she gave me some motherly advice that I wanted to share. She has raised her grandson, now 28 years old, as if he where her own. She told me that she tells him daily to 'never leave home angry, because you never know if you'll return.' We were talking about how transient life can be, and she spoke from experience when she said that it 'just isn't worth it to be negative or angry at others.' Life's too short. She also stated that at this point in her life, she doesn't entertain people who don't appreciate the value of life, who aren't grateful or who complain. Again, life has more to offer.

So Ms. Maria (pronounced Myra) not only reminded me of my mother's outward beauty, but the loving advice she gave me that guides me to this day. I'm grateful to have run into her on the bus today; I was clearly where I needed to be to receive some needed motherly advice.

Once again, it has been awhile since my last post. Two reasons for my delay: life has gotten in the way, many life changes and events to adjust to, and I've been searching for a direction to take this blog. The latter reason I will elaborate on.

I started this blog to share with those not familiar with public transportation in Nashville more information, how simple it is to be car-less in a car-centered city. Then, somehow I became concerned with being a good spokesperson for MTA, feeling an obligation to present public transit in Nashville in only the most favorable light. I also felt like I needed to highlight any new or pertinent information about what's going on with public transit in Nashville. Needless to say, I've gotten a bit bored with that content, and there are other great sources for up to the minute information about what's happening in Nashville's transit world. My friends at Transit Now Nashville (TNN) do a great job at that, as does MTA via their own media outlets.

So recently I had the chance to refocus on why I started this blog in the first place. My epiphany came when talking to a MTA driver this past week. I was asking her why more people don't take advantage of riding the bus, especially on the particular route she had, there were no passengers on her bus at the time. She has been driving for MTA for quite awhile and remarked that she noticed that people in Nashville have a perception about the kind of people that ride the bus. She stated a fact that I've seen and heard several times myself: Most people in Nashville feel that only poor people or those 'down on their luck' take public transportation. I couldn't agree with her more! I've posted in the past how friends of mine are almost indignant at the fact that I would take the bus, as if somehow I am not in the category of those who would take public transportation. It was at that moment, talking to that driver that I realized the direction of this blog and what my message needs to be.

Hello Nashville: Professional, intelligent, productive citizens of our fair city chose to take public transportation and ride along with those who may have few other choices and we actually find riding the bus efficient, economical and enriching. I have numerous stories and experiences to share that will prove the previous statement to be true. Thanks for being patient while I remembered this blog's purpose. Please check back within this week to find out what folks on the bus are doing and talking about. You might be surprised who is riding the bus in Nashville.