The Arrival

I am always grateful and relieved to arrive home in my apartment safely, whether from work, errands or other outdoor activities.

I am a pedestrian and my primarily means of mobility is facilated by my own feet and public transit; very rarely by a taxi cab (are you kidding me, with what it costs?!!). Friends and family give me rides (I don't own a car) when they are available but I am mostly on my own. I do have a license but I am very much out of practice that I would not even rent a car to navigate the streets.

I live in Los Angeles, California. On more than one occasion, I often think that I live in the wrong city in terms of access to reliable transportation, sans a private vehicle.

Hard it may be for car-owning folks to comprehend living in L.A. without a car, it IS possible, as much as I am fully aware of its limitations.

So I value my safety especially when I walk to get from point A to point B or detours in between. Tonight, I happened to stay at work late. I took an alternative bus home that was a shorter and quicker ride than my regular bus line, but which required a longer walk from the bus stop to my apartment.

The street was lit and it felt safe enough. I have walked that route several times before. But tonight, my steps were quicker, bigger and my gait was more purposeful. I held on firmly to my umbrella (there was forecast of rain that did not materialize) and keys in my hand as I scanned my environment while remaining focused (versus talking to a cell phone or listening to music with earphones).

I had this attitude after hearing a friend's story of his female friend who was mugged (purse snatched despite a struggle) on the street that I just walked by, nearly at the same time when the mugging took place. My friend did not say how long ago it happened but he said that it occurred after his friend parked her car and got out. The trauma resulted in her moving away to live elsewhere.

Before hearing that story, I learned about the mugging of a woman at a bus stop at three o'clock in the afternoon!! She told me that the mugger snatched her iPhone ("it happened so fast..."). She was shaken by the incident that she no longer takes the bus and has her boyfriend drive her around instead.

These stories make me more attentive - as a pedestrian, a woman and a public transit rider.

Since company is scarce, I do the best I can to be cautious and aware, with a constant prayer for safety and protection. Whenever I step into my apartment or destination of home, I know that I have arrived with an answered prayer, and my gratefulness is magnified.