Try it, you'll like it

Most weekday mornings, I wake up around 5:30 a.m. -- not to an alarm clock, but to the low but steady sound of morning commute traffic already building to its crescendo on the 580 freeway. I turn the radio on low to mask the sound, and I drift back to sleep. But at some point between then and when I get up a few hours later, I hear at least one traffic report of the day's accidents, blockages and  bottlenecks.

Every day, I feel blessed that I am not part of it ... that I finally live somewhere where it's possible to get nearly everywhere you want to go without getting in a car ... that I can skip a gym membership and strict diets because my commute guarantees me 40 minutes of brisk walking each day ... that I see my neighbors' smiling faces and enjoy life's rich pageant on my daily promenade ... that I am minimizing my contribution to climate change ... and that, bottom line, I can afford to live here in the first place because I don't spend a hefty chunk of my income on transportation. 

This Friday is a good time to see for yourself, when San Francisco becomes the first U.S. city to hold an official Walk to Work Day, with prizes for anyone who walks at least 15 minutes of their commute and a big after-work party. Hey, if it takes prizes and a party to convince people that walking all or part of their commute is fun, free, healthy and smart, so be it. And if even a fraction of the people who try walking to work like it and stick with it, we'll all benefit.