17 Nur 165 B.E. (Baha'i calendar)
Soundtrack in my head:  The Monkees, "Pleasant Valley Sunday"

Recently, I was elected to a role as one of two Finance Officers on the board of Madison Community Co-op (MCC).   As my co-officer is on the East Coast this summer, that means that I'm running the organization's Finance Committee meetings solo this summer.

This has led to the development of a new routine I rather like.  Every couple of weeks, I need to go into the MCC office and create an agenda packet for the next committee meeting.   Then I need to hand-deliver them to MCC's eleven member co-op houses.  The farthest houses are about 2 1/2 miles apart, and with the meandering path I need to take to reach all of them, the total walk is probably between 3 or 4 miles.  That' s small potatoes compared to the 15 miles per day I averaged on the Global Walk for a Livable World but nevertheless, it's a pretty nice workout. 

But it's not just for the work and the exercise that I do this.  I also run into people I know along the way.  Both times I've walked this "circuit," I've stopped at a couple of houses for spontaneous conversations with friends and acquaintances.

Two weeks ago, when I did this, it was hot and muggy, and I wasn't exactly a happy camper doing this.  But it provided a nice excuse for one person to invite me in for lemonade and conversation.  Today, the weather was  perfect weather--sunny, warm, clear, and dry.   It was a great day to take in the neighborhood--many of these neighborhoods are quite beautiful, and my route gives me nice views of Orton Park, Lake Monona, and Lake Mendota. And I spent about a half-hour just hanging out and chatting on the porch of one of the co-ops.

I'm sure there will be subsequent weeks that I will prefer to do this via bicycle, since it is faster.  But today, I was in no hurry, and I gave myself permission to enjoy the scenery along the way.  It's a nice way to enjoy the longest day of the year.