Twenty seven steps

Wilshire Boulevard-the area that I traverse on foot-is referred to as the "miracle mile." I am not sure what gives it the miracle status, but speculate that it is a miracle I don't have a constant ringing in my ears after walking along it because it is so loud.

Buses, cars, motorcycles...you name it and it is out on Wilshire, day or night, and generating a ton of noise. This raucous sound had become something that I had to tolerate to cover the final 1/3 to 1/2 mile to get to my office. Not my favorite thing, but a fact of the commute.

I discovered a thoroughfare to some neighborhood streets last week, not at all unlike the little secret path I discovered over by Olympic Blvd and featured on a Friday blog a couple of months ago. One of the best things about this route is how quickly it goes from roaring traffic noise to the calming suburban sounds of birds chirping, the occasional dog bark and car doors slamming as the kids load up for school.

Ahhhhh. Serenity. I counted the number of steps that it took to escape the noise and enter the zen space...27. I definitely like the sound of that.