I am thankful today for being able to walk.
I have always been a walker. There was a period of time I tried to run, but I don’t like the way it affects my breathing, and it interferes with my thinking.
Because I walk mainly for my mood. Yes, the early morning walks started as a tactic to maintain/reduce weight, but sometime along the way I realized the walking wasn’t helping me with the weight but with my thoughts.
I live in a beautiful neighborhood with tree lined streets and paved roads. I have marked a few 3-4 mile routes which I rotate through. I am able to experience the changing seasons and the local flora and fauna. I have seen deer, turkeys, geese, sparrows and crows at close range.
And most importantly, the dogs are leashed. Only someone who has tried walking in the early morning hours in a small town in India knows what a blessing that is. The numerous stray dogs there, which might or might not be rabid, follow one around till either you go back inside the house or get into a slanging match with them. Most of the regular walkers there carry a thick stick to ward them off.
The early morning breeze is heavenly. I must say the early morning smells in Chandigarh, India were interesting to say the least, smoke and smog, smells of paranthas and tea from the tea stalls, incense and garbage together.
Here, it’s a uniformly clean, light smell. I don’t even mind walking along the school in the morning at drop off time because all the gas and the noise from those cars is nothing compared to the exhaust pipe emissions from a single motorbike revving up two houses away in India.
Once my youngest child was in high school, I had time to step back and look at my life. There were a lot of regrets and disappointments, which I must add is normal, because after the go, go, go years of bringing up the kids, now was the time to look back and wonder where the past 15-20 years went.
This lead to a lot of heart burning, sleep disturbing rumination. Did I do a good job? Was I a good mother and also true to myself? Did I lose myself in this process or is the original me still in there? Who is the original me, by the way? What does the future hold for me? Yes, a lot of me, me, me.
And the walking helped. I often joke that I leave home in a bad mood, everyone and everything including my life is irritating, annoying, boring, just blah. But by the time I turn around and start walking back, it’s all good, roses and peaches, plain lovely. My husband can now freely tell me to ‘go take a hike’ without fear of any repercussions. I have solved many a problem during one of these hikes.
Taking a daily walk helps with everything from top to toe. It helps with mood, the circulation, the digestion, the sleep, the bones and the balance. Just google ‘benefits of walking’ to see umpteen articles all extolling the virtues of this easy exercise. I try walking fast, walking hills, walking the nearby trail to change things up.
Recently much has been written about loneliness and relationships. Due to the pandemic, both viral and digital, people of all age groups are feeling lonely, which can lead to anxiety, stress, ultimately depression and maybe even cardiac and metabolic issues.
Some studies have found that even casual relationships, where you just smile and wave at a person are meaningful. To that extent, I am covered. I meet so many people on my daily walks. I don’t know them, but I look forward to meeting them everyday-the lady with the lapdog, the gentleman who recovered from a stroke, the lady who is older than me but walks faster than me, the young mother who runs with her baby in a pram, and many others. All these faces are familiar to me, though we haven’t spoken much beyond greeting each other.
I am thankful I am able to walk. Physically, mentally, geographically, I can get up, wear my sneakers and just go out of the house to clear my mind.
Most importantly though, I am thankful that I have time in my life to walk. When the kids were young, and I was holding a full time job, I just could not find the time to walk regularly. Now I have built it into my daily routine so that I can fit one at least 4-5 times a week.
