A few years ago my younger brother wrote an article for The Richmond Times Dispatch (where he's on the editorial staff)entitled "Pain Per Gallon", how prophetic. Gas was 1/2 of what it is now. If you saw the first 30 minutes of the Today show you saw the grim prediction of gas hitting 12.00 a gallon in a few years. Our economy was not built for this. Airlines are raising rates, bread, milk, eggs and other daily necessities have increased and understandably so, cost have to increase, but how high will things go before they start to level off? Notice my optimism and I am optimistic that they will level off, not go back down. I've made the decision NOT to bitch about the rising price of gas. I'm determined to look at this as the "tank" is half full. The use of public transportation has increased, which is a good thing. As most of you know I love New York. The food, people, culture, sights and the SUBWAY. You can buy a Metro Card for under 30.00 (as of March) that's good for a week of unlimited rides or for a month for under a 100.00 (as of March). That's a awesome deal. Now the Subway isn't perfect and as with everything there are drawback but don't let what you see on Law and Order, CSI or Criminal Minds scare you. Yes things happen on the subway but they also happen on the streets and highways such as snipers, hit and run, car jacking (the latter I have experienced personally). Another upside is maybe people will get off their lazy fat asses and walk more. I love to take a walk for several reasons, fresh air, clear my thoughts, sight seeing and YES exercise! If you live less than a mile from the store and are a moderately healthy there's no reason to drive to the store for a few staples or forgotten items. Maybe parents will take their kids for a walk after dinner, couples will go for a walk in the evening, people will walk their dogs more. We all need the extra steps, even our dogs are getting fat!! Yes the rising prices are inconvenient, challenging and yes a pain but they're not insurmountable. As a country who imported the majority of we got a away with cheap gas for years. Gas in Venezuela is less than 1/2 what we pay now and rightfully so they pump their own oil. So, while getting hit in the head at head at the pump is painful take that stress out on the pavement. Take a quick walk after dinner or paying the bills, you'll release some stress, sleep better and burn some calories.

Evolving In 2008

** The title of this article was updated.  The title of my brothers editorial was PAIN PER GALLON **