If you haven’t figured it out, I write about a lot of stuff. Food. Travel. Photography. You know, the basic things that make life interesting. One topic I’ve mentioned in passing but never really delved in deeply is my affinity to taking walks. Those who know me know I’m out and about more often than not in the middle of the woods. Early to late fall is also one of my favorite seasons. Therefore, it goes without saying, I’m in my element during this time of year. And what better way to introduce my walking journeys than to write about them for Freedom Friday?
Someone asked me how I keep so trim. I would use the word emaciated but that’s just me. Thin is another polite word for saying I look all skin and bones. I don’t mind when folks call me skinny, after all, I am my mother’s son and she’s not on the meaty side either. So, it’s not really something I don’t know. Anyway, I answer whoever’s asking that I’m a walker. I walk everywhere. Even having a car, I still will walk half-an-hour to Main Street on a regular basis. I enjoy the coffee shops there. They’re cozy little establishments where you can grab a warm cup of pleasure. In the wintertime, I enjoy sitting in front of the window looking out to the traffic as folks slush their way through the snow.
Walking also provides me a time when I can think. So many wonderful ideas come from those one-hour sessions. I can’t say why certain thoughts come to mind whenever I’m outside stretching my legs. They just do. I go with it and see where they take me. On the opposite end of the spectrum, when I do take long walks, I tend to resolve quite a few problems that way. If something’s on my mind, by the time I get home it will have disappeared.
Another side effect of a good walk is crossing paths with the animal kingdom. I’ve mentioned this before in my Autumn Photography post. Have I told you my biggest fear? Well, I’ve met with raccoons, rabbits, foxes, wild dogs, black cats, ducks, and geese. That’s it. I think. Wait a minute, did I mention coyotes? I haven’t met a coyote yet, and I’m not planning to either. But my biggest fear is skunks. Thankfully, I’ve seen them, but never startled them enough to race down the street like an idiot. I wouldn’t know what to do if one sprayed me. I suppose that would be the basis for a bad day.
I’ve also encountered my share of incidents during my constitutionals. One in particular strikes my memory. It involved a car and an immovable object. I was walking home, listening to music, when right behind me on the opposite side of the street, a car veered off the road, bounced on the sidewalk, tracked through a couple of front lawns, took out a porch, a veranda and finally came to a stop with its front-right side embedded in a house. Yes, a house. Oh, everyone walked out of there alive. Yet, the whole scene shook me. To this day, I can still remember how it all happened.
I always wonder what my life would be like had that car veered in a different direction.
Nonetheless, I still walk everywhere. And I’ll probably keep walking until the end of my days. It’s what makes me who I am. It’s what keeps me alive.
[Author’s Note: I wrote this a month ago yet only now did I get a chance to post it. Hence the fall shots.]
Do you take walks? What comes from the exercise?
Looking to God 
I take my dog for walks in the state park behind my apartment or I meet friends in Oconomowoc and we do a couple laps around Fowler Lake. It’s nice to walk around the lake since it’s lit so when it gets dark at 5pm we still have somewhere to walk provided it not too cold out like it has been the last few days. I have to get back on the exercise routine. It’s so easy to fall out of it yet so hard to get back into it. I do know I feel really good after I exercise, right now I’m just too lazy! ~Gina
Walks really can do wonders for clearing the head. Looks like you’ve got some spectacular scenery to help with that. 🙂
Walks are the best.
Great post, Jack. It really resonates with me.
I walk regularly, for pleasure and for problem solving. Now that the nights are drawing in walking in the dark takes on a new atmosphere and experience. Three weeks ago I took a walk under a full moon in Pendle, scene of the historic Pendle Witch Trials. The silhouettes and shadows, silver reflections and the sound of distant owls (and who knows what else) was magical. And now I think there’s a comet visible low down in the sky looking north. I need to check that to see if it’s really what I saw.
Chris
Crazy story about the car!
Crazy is right! Now, whenever a car comes up from behind, I’m always looking to make sure it stays on the road!
Walking is so good for you. I just need to make my walks longer. Time well spent. Happy walking!
I know, eh? 😉 I love when soon after it rains I can walk through the puddles and smell the grass. And if the grass is freshly cut, I’m in heaven!
Walking means to me ‘taking it all in’, gathering ideas, clearing my head. Ever since watching ‘The Joy of Painting’ (Bob Ross) I really look and listen instead of just briefly glancing and simply hearing.
In Winter, walks are pretty short – I prefer to see the ground I am walking on. My favourite season is autumn, followed by spring.
Absolutely! If you live in a quiet neighborhood like I do, hearing things sparks the imagination and encourages positive thoughts. Not a day goes by that I don’t appreciate the walks I take in our area!