Presence

I have noticed the mental absence on the part of many people whom I see at bus stops and riding the buses.  This has been a phenomenon on my part, as well, as I've had my eyes on my phone more and more while riding the bus along a familiar route, often reaching my stop just as I'm becoming aware of my whereabouts.

I've been trying a few new bus routes because they provide much faster service to places where I would like to go (Poway, to get to Peter's, to and from UCSD, where I had initially started sitting in on  class, and to and from UTC, where I went today to buy a pair of comfortable shoes (imagine that - and they're not even ugly!).

I decided to forego the gym (again) because my plantar fasciitis is still causing pain when I walk.  Peter suggested that I massage my foot and practice flexing my toes, stretching the fascia gently, slowly, throughout the day.

It's been several weeks now since the fasciitis started bothering me this time (initially, it'd acted up a while back, and I'd tried "running through it," only to cause more damage and resulting in additional scar tissue buildup).  However, it reminded me of the lack of presence on the part of a lot of commuters and others who regularly use public transit, myself included.

While riding, I put my phone away and watched the traffic and passing scenery as I rode along Mira Mesa Boulevard, heading toward the 805.  I noticed the construction that continues at the junction of Mira Mesa, the I-805, and Sorrento Valley.  They are adding in an extension of Carroll Canyon Road, which, as far as I know, runs from Scripps Ranch into Mira Mesa, ending at Black Mountain Road.  However, I know it "continues" on the other side of the quarry.  Whether this leg of Carroll Canyon Road connects to the other a mystery to me.  Time to go to Googlemaps!

Ugh.  I just Googled it, and IT DOES NOT CONNECT!  Why, in the name of cartography, would two roads share a name when they don't connect?!?  How asinine is that?  Or maybe just the result of lazy mapmakers who cannot come up with new names for roads?

Back to my point:  being unaware of one's physical whereabouts can be dangerous, if one is traveling (esp. in unfamiliar or unsafe surroundings), but is, on the whole, a loss of experience, even if that experience tends to be similar from one passing to the next.  There is always something worth noticing, or observing.  I'm going to try putting my phone away from now on, and keep my awareness to that which is around me.  I encourage others to practice this level of presence as well.