So pretty much every weekday I get up, get ready, and walk to work.
Later, around 5 p.m., I walk back home. Most days I cross the same four streets -- 20th, 19th, 18th and York. That is usually the order in morning; the reverse at night.
Along the way there and back, I pass people walking their dogs, pushing strollers with babies, sleeping on the sidewalk, or talking to themselves. I nod or exchange pleasantries with the ones I recognize or the ones who seem open to an interaction.
There are lots of cars, trucks, motorcycles, bikes, skateboards and scooters rushing here and there. With them, since I am moving very slowly these days, my main goal is to stay out of their way.
Another hazard is people walking and looking down at their cellphones. They often almost run into me.
As I have aged, I feel much more vulnerable on many levels. I no longer carry my wallet in a rear pocket but a front one. There are assaults around here frequently -- sometimes when someone on a skateboard zooms up from behind and swipes a person's wallet.
So caution has become a big part of my routine.
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