Pace of Life

I am a fast walker. Not always, but I generally see walking as mostly a method for getting me to where I want, or need, to be. So the faster the walk, the sooner I can be there. Yes, I know you should look around….enjoy the scenery…etc, but I can both do that at a faster speed, and do that when I am choosing to walk for enjoyment (hiking, etc…). Other than when my hip was replaced last year, I have never had health keep me from walking fast (even when I broke my ankle, I flew on my crutches).

For a majority of my career, I worked in a downtown environment. Like many, I parked at a garage a number of blocks away and would walk to my office building. Over time, you find a number of your co-workers park at the same place and often find yourself arriving to the garage at the same time. One co-worker, let’s call him Jim, parked where I did, and generally arrived at a similar time to the garage as I did. Jim was not a fast walker. Jim was not a normal paced walker. Jim, ambled. Slowly. The three block walk took me five minutes. I think it took Jim fifteen.

If I arrived ahead of Jim, no problem. I zoomed into work. If I pulled into a parking spot when he did, I could also get out of my car and moving faster. The problem came if he was walking (ambling) and I came up behind him at high-speed. Do I slow to his pace and converse? I couldn’t. When I am heading to work, I’m on a mission to get there. Do I blow by him at high-speed, leaving him to eat my dust? Whether I acknowledge him or not in the blow by, it still seemed rude. My solution? I would walk a longer route. I still could keep my pace, beat him and he was none the wiser.

Take a look at this study about how fast we walk measures the “pace of life“.

Grilled Basil-Marinated Chicken

This excellent chicken has both Jim’s style (slow marinating) and mine (fast cooking).

This is an easy, but tasty dish.

Marinating.

Off the grill.

Delicious!

Grilled Basil-Marinated Chicken

prep 15 mins∙ cook 15 min∙ makes 4 servings∙ difficulty Easy∙ source Eating Stella Style

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon chopped basil leaves, plus 4 sprigs for garnish

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

• 1 clove garlic, chopped

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 pounds)

DIRECTIONS

Whisk together the oil, vinegar, basil, onion, salt, peppercorns, and garlic in a bowl. Transfer the marinade to a gallon-sized sealable plastic bag with the chicken and shake to combine. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 12 hours.

When ready to cook, build a charcoal fire or preheat gas grill.

Remove chicken from the marinade. Grill the chicken, turning once, until browned and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a platter and garnish with the basil sprigs.