Right as this semester was starting, I reinstated a goal I had previously made for myself: to walk and take public transportation more. A) It saves money and gas, B) it reduces carbon emissions, and C) it is a good way to get a little exercise. A new year, a new habit. Maybe it would stick this time.

    I started waking up a few minutes early every morning so that I could take the 30 minute walk to school. It was usually bearable since it was early in the morning, but by the walk back at 10:30 a.m. I needed to slow down every few blocks to take several gulps out of my water bottle, so I would not become dehydrated.

    I fairly consistently began walking to and from school on the mornings I had class, and if it rained I would scrounge up $1.25 from the cavernous depths of my purse or dusty corners of my bedroom in order to take the streetcar.

I found that although these alternative methods of transportation took significantly longer than simply driving my car to Palmer Street and then walking to class from there, I enjoyed them because they gave me time not only to look at things I may not have noticed before.I also could take a few minutes out of my busy day to relax and encourage the free flow of thoughts, unrestrained by the classroom or workplace.

    Unfortunately, as the semester wore on I became busier with schoolwork piling up and bound to inconvenient work times. I found myself hopping in the car more and more trying to make life a little bit easier.     

    Somehow though, it only makes life easier in terms of being able to procrastinate, but it does not help to de-stress or start my day on a positive note like walking did.

    I have yet to make a stronger effort amongst my busy days to begin walking to school again, but I know I need to make it a priority.

    The main point is not about using less gas, protecting the environment or even exercising in particular, although these are all very valid. It is about forming habits. We are young now and probably less busy and stressed than we will be throughout most of our adult lives. Now is the time to begin forming the habits that we will carry with us. They can be applied to our eating habits, our cleaning habits, our work habits, as well as ones I have already mentioned.

If we do not start improving our lifestyles now, how will we change them in 10 years?

Moreover, as we rapidly approach adulthood, we are becoming closer and closer to being the ones who set an example to the rest of society. We will want others to look toward us for an example, and many people, including our children, will follow whatever example we set whether or not it is a good one.

If we can train ourselves to use our cars less or produce less garbage or even to eat more fruits and vegetables, we will be doing both ourselves and future generations a noble act.
So look long and hard at your habits. What would you like to change, or more importantly,

what do you need to change now before it becomes too late?

Emily Ramirez can be reached at [email protected]