Fumes

Getting out of the gym and back on the sidewalk for my morning exercise has reminded me once again of the pollution we put into the air. Since I stick to Main Street and the business district, even at 7 in the morning the traffic is non-stop and all I can smell is fumes from the trucks and cars that are passing by at a steady rate. And then there is the noise.

Which brings me to my thought of the day: what would the world smell like and sound like without traffic? If I smell those fumes it means that even when they're not obvious, they're there affecting the scents and sounds all around us. I imagine walking down Main Street smelling the flowers that are beginning to blossom all around, catching whiffs of freshly baked goods and coffee from the various shops along the way, and perhaps even hearing the waves crashing off in the distance. I'd be more aware of the activities all around as I might hear someone raking their yard or scraping a front door for painting. I'd probably be able to overhear conversations as people left for work or greeted one another in passing. How different life would be without all those noisy, smelly vehicles clogging our roads.

Of course the other side of that is that I'm planning to drive to Pennsylvania next week to visit my daughter and her family so without our car that would never be possible. I might be able to go by train but trips would be more involved and less frequent for sure.

We live in a complicated world of our own making to some extent. I think there must be a happy medium between the noise and air pollution we deal with - and a world with no cars. But it might be nice to have a few days a year without them so we could enjoy some clean air and silent moments. What a treat that would be!