A great sight as I was out for my early morning run -- kids walking to school by the boatload! What the heck was going on? I never see so many children out so early in the morning.

Then, I saw a boy who had to be about 10 carrying a sign, "Burn energy, save fuel... it's walk to school day!"

I commented that his sign was great, but it made me sad that in our hyperscheduled society the best way to get kids to walk to school is to, of course, plan an event. Now, I should add there are kids who walk to school regularly with or without their parents in our neighborhood, but this was clearly a MOVEMENT (bad pun intended.)

I reasoned that while not ideal, it was a good idea.

In case you're wondering -- I would consider walking Dylan to school; however, we are a 15-minute drive from his school (it's a Pre-K program, so not part of public school). It's a distance I could cover on the run, but would get me in trouble with Child Protective Services to expect a 5-year old to travel that far by foot.

I fix Dylan breakfast feeling better that kids and parents are out walking, maybe even conversing while they make the trek to school. That feeling melts faster than an ice cube in the Sahara. I open the garage door and am FLOORED to see cars lining our street. Parents and kids are hopping out to "walk" to school -- never mind that they just covered a good part of the distance in their cars and opted to park on our narrow street.

I could not believe it.

PUH-LEZE!!!! This is obviously trying to keep up with the eco-friendly Jones'. These parents know their kid, and maybe they, too, would be embarassed to be seen riding in a car on "walk to school day." So the solution is to drive the quarter mile, cut your losses and park on my street???

Pardon me, while I put on my old foggy hat, but in an age of convenience, it's like we can't stand to be inconvenienced, even for a day. Pet peeves include a computer that is too slow and the microwave not fast enough.

While in my day, Supertramp would "Take the Long Way Home," others will create a shortcut at any cost.