Walking

Sunny asked if my walking is a bit ... much? And she asks why I am doing so much of it.

In my mid-30s, when I was in the best shape I was ever in, I routinely walked five miles or more every day. I found it good for my body, my mind and my spirit. I walk now for the same reasons. Most of my working life was sedentary, and it took a toll on my health over the years. My doctor strongly recommended walking for my bodily health, and I can tell it is helping. I know from experience that it is good for mind and spirit. 

We live in the country and, weather permitting,  I can walk on Berry Road, which has little traffic, or in the woods where Tom has been clearing paths. Lately the weather has not allowed for going into the woods, but the road is there. I bundle up and brave the elements unless it is snowing or raining. If the road is too messy, I can make some laps on our drive because Tom always has it cleared or go over to Rich and Peggy's to walk around their circle, which is also kept clear. Sometimes on these walks, I just enjoy the fresh air. Sometimes I listen to an audiobook -- lately P.G. Wodehouse or Bill Bryson.

We have a largish basement, and when the weather does not allow me outside, I can walk down there. Outside is better for obvious reasons, but even inside allows me to ponder. I find that I do a significant amount of composing for the books and even the blog while walking. When I sit down later to the computer, much of the work is already done.

Or as others have noted:

If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk. ~ Raymond Inmon 

A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White 

I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in. ~John Muir, 1913, in Linnie Marsh Wolfe, ed., John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir, 1938

 I especially like the quote from John Muir. Though born in Scotland, he grew up not far from here in Portage, Wisconsin, and it is due to his efforts that America is blessed with places like Yosemite and the Sequoia National Park. Tom and I belong to a group that works to preserve the natural beauty of the Dells of the Wisconsin River, an extension of the projects that Muir began more than a century ago.

PS -- The day I did 40,000 steps, which I doubt I will do again any time soon -- very time-consuming! -- was also a day I accomplished a lot of writing.