A Note from the Chief Errand Runner

Since this project began I have often had to remind myself of the pictures I've seen of stout little old ladies in neat black widow's dress hauling their daily groceries up the steep alleys and staircases of Italy.  It puts things into perspective when you're a 30-something woman with very little hill to traverse.  When I found myself starting to mumble about feeling like a pack horse while carrying bags and baskets of groceries to and from my home, those images of strong Italian matrons stopped my complaining and served me a piece of humble pie.  I realized how spoiled we really are in this society with everyone having cars that go anywhere and everywhere.  Then I think of how many women in this culture would not be able to continue running such daily errands on foot into the latter years of their lives.  They may not have remained in good enough condition, partly because of their reliance on those very cars.  So I hope to change that pattern, at least in my own life, and perhaps be an inspiration to others.  I won't just benefit from the physical exercise but also from the near daily interaction with local business people in my community who perhaps might just need a little inspiration themselves.