A five minute walk in my neighbourhood
Taking a Five-Minute Walk I prefer walking to any other form of exercise. I don’t much care for structured routines, so I step out as often as possible—walking to the grocer, laundry, chemist, cobbler, bank, and even the salon. Once upon a time, I enjoyed walking in my neighbourhood. A friend once said, “You have the privilege of living in the city, without really living in it.” Far from the maddening crowd, tucked in a quiet corner, it was mainly residential, with quaint cottages and low-storied buildings dotting the landscape, a plethora of shady trees, a few old-fashioned grocery stores, parks, and a few tried-and-tested places to eat or simply hang out. In the past two years, the face of my neighbourhood has changed drastically. It now resembles a construction site. The older apartment blocks, cottages and bungalows are being demolished and replaced by towers that almost touch the sky. I look at them and pray that the residents in the towers remain saf...