Okay, I'm always full of running stories. But today I want to talk about walking. That's right -- after my ab workout at the gym I went for an old-fashioned walk.
I enjoy walking because, generally speaking, walking is not a sport. It's not a matter of learning all the right movements and tons of rules and regulations. There's no thought of ranking or time. We run for discipline, for effort, for competition. Walking is not like that. Anybody can put one foot in front of the other.
I walked long before I began running. To walk, all you need are two legs. The rest will take care of itself. And when you're walking there's only one thing that matters: the beauty of the day, the splendor of the landscape, the joy of pure movement. Walking is throwing off the cares of life and forgetting about your work for a time. Nietzsche once described a walk he was taking in the Black Forest with these words: "I am walking a lot, through the forest, and having tremendous conversations with myself." Nietzsche walked all day long, writing down here and there what his walking self breathed into his brain. I too am an incurable wanderer. "Outside" is where I belong. I seem to truly find myself when I have the wind in my face, right in the middle of the world. This is really my home all the day long. I'm a pedestrian, nothing more, nothing less.
It's impossible to be alone when walking, for God is there, and so are the many things we gaze upon.
All those trees and flowers and and forests and houses and paths are ours for the taking. Every step is an inspiration born of adventure. When you walk, you're doing nothing and yet everything at the same time.
Overall, I think I need to walk more often than I do.