For quite some time, I have not taken my morning walk along the residential streets of my neighborhood.
Instead, I have become a mall walker.
Markville Mall, Hillcrest Mall and other shopping centres have become my regular walking places. They are convenient, comfortable and, on rainy or very hot days, sometimes much more practical than walking outdoors.
But there is something different about walking on a neighbourhood street.
Recently, I found myself walking along Cartier Crescent in Richmond Hill, and I suddenly realized how long it had been since I had really looked at my own neighbourhood.
It felt almost like meeting an old friend again.
Cartier Crescent is not a tourist attraction. There are no spectacular buildings or famous landmarks. It is simply a quiet residential street, lined with houses, sidewalks and mature trees.
And perhaps that is exactly what makes it special.
A different kind of walk
When I walk in a shopping mall, there are always things competing for my attention—stores, advertisements, people, escalators and displays.
A neighbourhood walk is different.
There is nothing I need to buy.
There is nowhere I need to go.
I can simply walk.
I notice the houses, the gardens, the flowers in front yards and the trees stretching over the sidewalks. Sometimes I notice a car leaving a driveway or someone walking a dog. Sometimes there is almost nobody around.
It is quiet.
And quiet is something I appreciate more as I get older.
Waiting for autumn
I particularly enjoy this neighbourhood when autumn arrives.
Richmond Hill has no shortage of beautiful fall colours. The City itself highlights many local places where maple and other mature trees turn brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow in the fall.
But I don't always need to go to a park to enjoy autumn.
Sometimes I only have to walk down my own street.
The trees along the sidewalks gradually change colour. Green leaves become yellow, orange and red. Some fall onto the pavement, while others remain hanging above the houses.
For a few weeks, an ordinary residential street can become a little wonderland.
I walk slowly, look around and sometimes stop to take a photograph.
At my age, I have learned that there is no need to rush through a beautiful moment.
From mall walking back to street walking
I don't think I will give up my mall walks.
There are good reasons why I like them. The floor is level, the environment is comfortable, and I don't have to worry about rain, snow or extreme temperatures.
But perhaps I have been relying on them too much.
Walking indoors gives me exercise.
Walking outdoors gives me something else.
It gives me a feeling of being part of the neighbourhood.
I see the seasons changing. I see the houses changing. I see gardens being planted and flowers disappearing. I see trees getting bigger and older.
And, in a small way, I realize that I am changing too.
When I was younger, I probably would have walked down Cartier Crescent without paying much attention to any of this.
Today, I notice the trees.
I notice the flowers.
I notice the quiet.
I notice the passage of time.
An old YouTube video
Interestingly, I made a YouTube video of this neighbourhood walk a long time ago.
At the time, I probably thought I was simply recording some scenery.
Looking at it now, I see it differently.
The video has become a little time capsule.
The street was there then.
I was there then.
And now, years later, I am walking the same neighbourhood again.
That is one of the unexpected pleasures of keeping old photographs, videos and blog posts. They preserve ordinary moments that we don't realize are important until much later.
So I will add that old YouTube video to this post.
It may not be a professionally produced video. It may not have thousands of views.
But it is my neighbourhood, my walk and a little piece of my life.
And for Grandpa Journey, that is enough.
Sometimes the best walks are the ones closest to home
Perhaps this is a small reminder to myself.
I don't always have to drive somewhere interesting.
I don't always need a shopping mall.
I don't need a famous park or scenic destination.
Sometimes I can simply step outside my door and walk along a familiar street.
Cartier Crescent has been there all this time.
I was the one who had stopped looking.
Maybe this autumn, I will slow down a little more, take my camera with me, and rediscover the streets around my home.
After all, there are still plenty of stories waiting to be noticed—even on an ordinary neighbourhood walk.
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#GrandpaJourney #RichmondHill #CartierCrescent #NeighbourhoodWalk #AutumnWalk #Walking #RetirementLife #LifeAfter80 #Canada #Ontario #SimplePleasures #EverydayLife
再走一次 Cartier Crescent——重新发现我熟悉的社区
有一段时间，我已经没有在自己家附近的住宅街道散步了。
这阵子，我反而成了一个真正的“商场步行客”。
Markville Mall、Hillcrest Mall，还有其他购物中心，已经成为我平日散步的地方。
商场当然有它的好处。天气太热、下雨或者冬天下雪的时候，室内环境舒服，有空调，也不用担心天气变化。对我这个年纪的人来说，能够安全、轻松地走一走，已经是一件值得珍惜的事情。
可是，走在住宅区的街道上，又是完全不同的一种感觉。
最近，我重新走上了 Richmond Hill 的 Cartier Crescent。
走着走着，我突然发现——
原来我已经很久没有认真看看自己的社区了。
那感觉，就像重新遇见一个认识了很多年的老朋友。
一条很普通的街道
Cartier Crescent 并不是什么旅游景点。
这里没有著名的建筑，也没有什么特别壮观的景色。
它只是一条安静的住宅街，有房子、有草地、有花园，还有两旁已经长得很高大的树木。
可是，也许正因为普通，它才让人感到亲切。
沿着人行道慢慢走，我看到一幢幢不同的房子，也看到屋前种植的鲜花。
有些花园整理得很漂亮，有些则很朴素。
树枝伸向街道上方，叶子随着微风轻轻摇动。
偶尔有汽车从车道驶出来，有人遛狗，也偶尔遇到邻居。
更多的时候，街上很安静。
而到了我这个年纪，我越来越喜欢这种安静。
我开始期待秋天
我特别喜欢 Richmond Hill 的秋天。
当树叶开始变色，原本绿色的树叶慢慢变成黄色、橙色和红色，整条街的气氛都会改变。
其实，要欣赏秋色，不一定要专程去公园。
有时候，只要走出家门，沿着附近的街道走一走，就已经足够了。
树叶在阳光下闪耀，有些还挂在树枝上，有些已经飘落在人行道上。
平时看起来很普通的住宅街，到了秋天，却好像变成了一个小小的童话世界。
我现在走路不会像年轻时候那样匆匆忙忙。
我会慢一点。
看看树。
看看花。
看看房子。
有时候停下来拍一张照片。
年纪大了以后，我慢慢明白了一件事情：
美好的时刻，不一定需要赶时间。
从商场走回街道
我并不会因此放弃我的商场散步。
我还是喜欢 Markville Mall 和 Hillcrest Mall。
在那里走路很方便，地面平坦，天气不好时也不用担心。对我来说，这些都是很实际的优点。
不过，也许过去这段时间，我有点太依赖商场了。
在商场走路，可以让我运动。
可是走在户外的住宅街道上，却给了我另外一些东西。
它让我感觉自己仍然是这个社区的一部分。
我可以看到季节的变化。
看到花园的变化。
看到树木一年一年长大。
也看到时间一点一点过去。
而我自己，其实也在改变。
年轻的时候，我可能走过 Cartier Crescent，却根本不会注意这些东西。
现在，我会注意树。
注意花。
注意阳光。
注意安静。
也注意时间。
一段很久以前拍摄的 YouTube 视频
有趣的是，很久以前，我曾经拍过一段关于这里的 YouTube 视频。
当时，我大概只是觉得这里的景色不错，所以把它拍下来。
那时候，我没有想到，多年以后再回头看，这段视频竟然会变成一份小小的“时间胶囊”。
街道还是那条街道。
房子还是那些房子。
而我，也曾经在这里走过。
现在，很多年过去了，我又重新走在同一条街上。
这也是我喜欢保留旧照片、旧视频和旧文章的原因。
很多时候，我们当下并不知道一个普通的时刻有什么特别。
可是多年以后回头看，才发现：
原来那也是我们人生的一部分。
所以，我会把当年拍摄的 YouTube 视频放在这篇文章里。
它也许不是一段专业制作的视频。
也许也没有很多人观看。
但那是我的社区、我的散步，也是我生活的一小部分。
对 Grandpa Journey 来说，这已经足够了。
最好的散步，有时候就在家门口
这次重新走 Cartier Crescent，也提醒了我一件很简单的事情。
我们不一定要开车去很远的地方。
不一定每次都要去购物中心。
也不一定要寻找著名的公园或者漂亮的旅游景点。
有时候，只要走出家门，沿着熟悉的街道慢慢走，就已经很好。
Cartier Crescent 一直都在那里。
只是这段时间，是我自己没有好好去看它。
也许今年秋天，我会多走几次。
带上手机，拍拍照片。
看看树叶怎样由绿变黄，再由黄变红。
也许还会遇到一些熟悉的邻居。
毕竟，人生到了这个阶段，我越来越觉得：
生活中的故事，并不一定发生在远方。
有时候，它们就在我们每天经过的那条街上。
只要我们愿意放慢脚步，就会重新发现它们。
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