A breath of fresh air.
Date: Nov 9th, 2220.
I open the front door and step outside. The cold air of the morning fills my lungs as I take a deep breath. The crisp wind of fall blows through the street, peacefully carrying with it some fallen leaves. Although not yet freezing, I feel my nose start to get cold as I make my way to the sidewalk.
The streets appear quiet, but as I take another deep breath, I stand still and listen. I can hear the flocks of pigeons in the distance, gliding their way through the city, and signaling the start of a new day. Across the street, neighbors depart their house and walk off to work, chattering to each other.
Kepler and Ginny come out of the house, followed by Ellie. The kids are wearing their winter coats, as we like to make sure they don’t catch a cold. We all walk to our destinations every morning. Since there’s a lot less people crammed into urban centers, it is now very rare for people to have to commute for long times to work or school. Instead, walking in the mornings and afternoons has become a ritual for most people.
The three of them are headed south together, as the school and the autonomous machine control tower are both in that direction. We hug and say our goodbyes, and then I head north.
The walk to my coffee bar takes me around fifteen minutes by foot. It’s a very relaxing way to start my days, and a good way to get some exercise and fresh air. As I start walking towards the café, I hear the distinct crunch of leaves as I step on them. Not a car in sight.
As I get closer to Astoria Park, things start looking a lot more lively. There usually are hundreds of people jogging, dancing and playing games there every morning. Since customers start coming pretty early, I usually opt to exercise in the evenings instead. There are now a multitude of different sounds, all intermixing in the morning air. Barks, and laughs, and rhythmic steps of joggers. Also, the calming sound of running water from the East River.
Some distance ahead, there is a couple with a solar BBQ making pancakes, french toast, egg wraps and other classic breakfast items. Leading up to it, there is a queue of a few dozen people waiting to get their morning calories. The smell of the sweet pancake mix, the fresh toast and cinnamon fill the air.
I wave to the couple as I walk by. We are all friendly even though we are technically competition.
The air around the park feels fresh and fills me with life. I can feel nature surrounding me. As I look towards my right, I can see endless trees and green pastures. Throughout the years, the city administration has expanded the park and increased the density and variety of trees. Today, it is almost five times the original size. However, most people hang out closer to the river and Shore Boulevard. This has allowed wildlife to flourish in the less visited areas of the park. It’s truly beautiful.
After walking for another block, I spot a family of geese walking around the park. Before I know it, they have disappeared behind the trees. When people are feeling adventurous, they head into the park to spot all kinds of animals. If they are quiet, they can spot even large mammals like white-tailed deer. However, their population numbers is still quite small, partly because the park rangers have transported many away as they hurt the growth of the vegetation.
As I make my way past the park, I finally get to the coffee shop. I’m the first one in, so I unlock the front door and step inside. The smell of coffee immediately surrounds me. I smile and excitedly make my way to the espresso machine to make myself a morning cup of joe.
~ optimistic futuristic ~
Photo credit: header photo of trees [from Richard Burlton at Unsplash].
