There is a pathway that I walk to school. It is about two miles away from school. I park and I walk it every day. People ask me 'why I do it', or 'why not just pay for a parking permit, are you too cheap?' It has nothing to do with money, but rather the reason I choose to walk is because I can, because the path represents life in a sense.

When I walk I reflect on life, I walk the path in rain, snow, blistering heat and bone chilling cold. It reminds me of life, because life is never a simple path for everyone: college for example. Some go straight to college after high school while others wait a year or so because they are not sure what they want to study. We all get to where we need to within time, no need to rush it. So when I walk the path, yeah, I could buy a pass and make it shorter, but that would not reflect who I am. I have taken different chances at different careers. I have taken time to really think and decide what I want to do with my life, and what goals I want to accomplish. So I forgo the simple parking permit that would make things easier and instead I park two miles away and I take a long walk to and from campus; nothing stops me from finishing the path and reaching my destination.

No weather is strong enough to stop me. My legs may grow tired, but it doesn’t stop them from moving; my patience can be tested but never fails. When you think about it this is life. Life will throw all kinds of different challenges at you when you least expect it. You sometimes want to just have things the easy way, but that’s not how life works most of the time. There is always some challenge, and it is up to you as a person to meet it head on or find an easy way around it.

I am not at all trying to discredit or talk down about people who choose to have things the easy way or would rather have a parking permit that is all well good. We all have the free will to choose. It is a choice that we all have to make. Many times though, these choices shape us into who we are to become, or in other cases they represent the type of life we have endured and continue to do so to this very day. So the path one takes can indeed say a lot then one may expect; no words are needed sometimes if someone can see the path you have taken.

So I tell people I walk, because it just makes sense for me to walk. You can have a parking permit and make things easier, but for me, personally, I would rather walk-- reflect and enjoy the time to think and be thankful for everything in this life of mine.