It’s 7:40 AM and I’m walking the park one last time before leaving town. I got to see the sunrise over the golf course, which was very nice, but it’s officially carpool time. This environment was not built for me.

Yes, I’ve walked the park many a time this early over the summer, but today is a school day. A school bus just screeched directly in my ear. It’s interesting—cars actually let you cross the street here. Never mind, I just almost got hit.

It’s a fierce battle out here between the morning commuters hunting down pedestrians for daring to slow down their commute versus the parents in pure survival mode. Ironically, most of the drivers who almost ran me down had kids in the backseat, fighting for their lives just to reach the carpool drop-off line. Honestly, respect—but the irony.