66 / Gratitude journaling, for urbanists.

Thankful for you all. Pardon a slight deviation from our usual Tuesday release. We discuss: 00:00 Thanksgiving and urbanism. 04:35 A journaling exercise. 10:01 Upcoming guests and episodes. 11:21 A note on black friday and parking minimums. A sample journal exercise. First, the point of gratitude, followed by a summarized root-cause analysis. Apologies for brevity, these were transcribed from my field notes. Aly – got to know each other on walks, solve problems on walks, stay fit on walks, save money on walks, all of which are made possible by living in walkable pockets of American cities. also, even met on a dating app in Dallas, which exists/thrives because of a decline in serendipitous interactions and third-place prevalence. Simple routines that define home – the walk to school in 45 minutes, through beautiful tree-covered brick streets lined with gorgeous architecture – to the grocery store, through goodale park – to coffee, any number of possible routes. Urban nature, and small moments of natural respite – made possible via breaks in car-dominated infrastructure. Bikes – only able to ride in effectively-designed places. Travel to places like portland, boston, new york, and tempe – all made endlessly enjoyable due to their various brands of strong or emerging urbanism. Sunrises + sunsets – only able to be experienced fully because I don’t have to sit in traffic anywhere close to the american average of 30-min one-way commutes. Rich memories from formative times like high school and college – physical proximity and socialization. re: colleges, campuses are the largest collection of continuous car-free spaces we have in the U.S. Gentle-density – the best photos, views, and future home aspirations. Parents – started walking with me from a young age, which instilled autonomy; sense of direction, and forever fuels rich nostalgia. My health (physical + mental) – walking powers this. Even when the gym gets notched out of a day, I always have long walks, because they are built into my commute + lifestyle. This is also where I breath, think, reflect, and ideate.