America isn't home to many places where biking, walking or public transport are both easy and common. I don't live in any of those places. Life without a car leaves me with few choices, as far as going out is concerned. I can beg someone for a ride, but I fear that gets old for everyone involved. I don't want to bother someone all the time and most people don't have to time or energy to coordinate schedules. The bus system isn't terrible, if you don't mind waiting all the time and only ever want to go downtown or to the mall. Cycling? Bike lanes are an endangered species in my college town. Besides, I've put off getting by bike fixed for weeks now. Walking is hardly that bad, right? Most of the time, that is.

Here are seven moments where walking all over the city to work, the library and to meet friends is that bad.

1. Those impatient drivers.

Some people are just bad drivers. Others are bad and mean, swearing at me for crossing the street.

Dude, chill. I'm allowed to use the crosswalk now. You're in a car, I'm not. The 20 seconds it takes me to finish crossing the street is a fair bit easier for you to make up for than it is for me. If I don't get to the other side now, I'll be stranded here in the median for 15 minutes, fearing for my life. You, on the other hand, just have to sit comfortably in the air conditioning and wait until the light turns green again. It'll be okay, I promise.

2. Sore feet and worn shoes.

Back in May, I had some nice walking shoes. They weren't brand new, but they still looked nice. Since I was walking every day after that, by June I was cutting some "poor man's insoles" from cardboard, biding my time until my next paycheck. The second pair of shoes lasted for a month. I'm on my third pair for the summer ...and it's not like I'm buying the cheapest thing I can find. These are decent shoes. Try walking half a dozen miles daily. Watch them disintegrate around your feet.

And your poor, abused feet. There are no words to describe how sore your feet will be. Cold water, coconut oil, Epsom salts. Those remedies are all a lie. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, I guess.

3. When people say, "Wow, that's a long way to walk!"

I'm aware, thanks. Yes, walking a total average of an hour a day is unusual. But it honestly isn't that physically taxing. I'm no athlete, but I do just fine. I'm very much aware it seems like a long way to walk, no one needs to remind me.

4. Or ask, "Why don't you buy a car?"

If I had that kind of money lying around, why do think I wouldn't? As it stands, I'm walking to work. To earn money, not to spend it. Couldn't you compliment me for doing something good for the environment instead?

5. Navigational difficulties.

I've mentioned before I have a dead awful sense of direction. I'm from a bigger city where city blocks at least pretend to form a grid. My college town allows no such illusions. There is chaos. There are main roads that change names three times without warning. Proper sidewalks are only slightly more common than bike lanes. I don't play, yet I'm infinitely grateful for Pokemon Go! because I now look less like a loon when I whip my tablet out for a quick look at Google Maps. What looks like me catching a Charmander is, in truth, a lot less fun. That's actually me typing my address or scrolling around in hopes of finding something familiar.

6. There's a lot of weather out there.

Nope, there's no way to beat the summer heat. Five minutes into my walk, I find that an invisible gremlin surely must have stolen the ice from my water bottle (because there's no way it melted that quickly). Ten minutes in, I've drunk all my water (but I'm still thirsty and now I have to go to the bathroom). When I get home, I can't tell if my pink nose is from sunburn or friction burn from rubbing the sweat off with my t-shirt one too many times.

Winter isn't much better. Imagine piles of snow to trip over, torrential winds chapped lips and snowflakes like shattered glass in eyes and other exposed flesh. Remember, there are no sidewalks.

7. Looking in the mirror.

And thinking, "D*mn, girl. Look at your legs!" All that walking had to pay off somehow. If only my hair wasn't so windswept and my shirt wasn't plastered on by sweat. Sigh. I guess you can't have everything in life.