Let's take a walk

You might know I hate to run.  I’ve told you that I counted down the days until my last college p.e. class and the last mile I’d ever have to run in my life.  After that, unless I was late for a connecting flight (which has of course happened), I’d never be forced to run again.  But talk about a walk, and I’m game.  I will walk for miles, hours.  Maybe it’s because I feel like I can still breathe and not feel at risk of keeling over.  I can still talk.  And listen.  I can maintain a steady pace and not pass out.  I certainly don’t have to worry if my posture or running style is funny; no one looks at the walkers on the sidewalk.  I blend in.  My favorite place to be.  Mostly I like it for two reasons:  I like talking with my family and friends while exercising, and it’s something I can see myself doing for most of the rest of my life—barring any injuries, which seems pretty unlikely given my level of adventurousness.

I remember walking around a lake in town with one of my best friends in high school.  We’d walk for miles on Sunday afternoons, catching up on the week.  We just planned on it; it felt intimate and safe.  I miss her and our walks.

Now that I’m writing this, I remember that I just lied.  I did run after that college class.  I walked a lot in college, but I also remember running a bit on the indoor track when it was snowy and on the grass track nearby when it was pretty out; and of course I know why now.  It seemed like a more efficient way to burn off all my desserts and no one was making me; I could stop any time I felt like it.  (I’m kind of sassy that way and hate being told what to do.)  I used the weight room, did aerobics, played tennis, and took ballroom and ballet classes, but I liked walking best of all.  I remember my first long walk with Todd just a couple of weeks after our freshman semester had started:  we hiked to the Y on the mountain next to campus on a double date one evening.  Of course this walk stands out like no other; it was on this hike that we just kind of felt we’d be in each others’ lives for the rest of our lives.  Weirdest walk ever.  But we kept walking, so many long walks.  There is no better way to talk.  Or fall in love.

I remember moving across the country to Illinois with a two week old baby.  I’d never been somewhere so far from home, somewhere so unfamiliar.  I was surrounded by people from all sorts of countries.  The student apartments we lived in smelled like stale Asian cooking and there were cockroaches everywhere.  I didn't have any idea how to be a mom.  But I knew it would help me to walk, so I enlisted two other women.  We met every afternoon with our babies in strollers, and we’d take in the tree-lined neighborhoods day after day.  It was a beautiful part of our afternoon—so nice to get out and visit with other first-time moms.

We moved to a town-home a year later, and I asked a woman if I could join her and her friend when they walked at 6 (so we could fit it in before their husbands and I had to go to work).  We just bundled up and met each other in the cold, dark mornings.  They were a few years older and already good friends, so I mostly just listened.  Eventually I became their friend and we remained close through our remaining time there.

When we moved to Billings I started mall walking at 6, the only time (once again) we could squeeze it in before everyone woke up and husbands had to leave for work.   We’d make the rounds and wave to the wrinkled but familiar friends we’d come to know.  It’s easier now that our kids are in school to meet up with various friends during the week and catch up while taking a walk together.  As much as I love to meet for lunch, I hate spending money on soup and salad I can make at home and I feel uncomfortable staring into each others’ eyes across a small table; I prefer getting out and just spending time together in a simple, non-expectant way.

Throughout all these years, Todd and I have continued to walk.   We never had any money—we were students forever it seemed.  So we’d go on walks whenever we could.  We’d walk by rivers in Utah and then in Illinois and he’d point out good fishing spots.  We’d meander through old neighborhoods, noticing the difference small touch-ups would make.  We’d make our way through the fancy houses and wonder about the people who lived in them, in awe of their classical architecture and style.  We’d slow down in the fall, savoring the beauty of old-fashioned streets with colored leaves crunching under the stroller wheels.  We’d meet in the evenings and take our little kids with us.  We carried on our Sunday tradition.  We’d walk to local parks and would drive an hour or more to go hiking in state parks on the weekends.  We were absolutely in our glory.

Now days we head out early on summer mornings and walk for an hour or so if we have time.  We bundle up as it gets colder.  This is one of favorite parts of the day because with five kids it’s hard to find a private place to talk about them.  Walking gives us a chance to stretch our legs and touch bases.  We’ll sometimes pack up the family and tin foil dinners and go for a walk around the nearby lake as a family on a summer evening. We’ve forever taken Sunday walks as a family.  In fact, recently we were talking about some of our favorite things to do, and I was shocked that our 17 year old son said he loves our family walks.  Who knew?  I always think we look pretty odd:  five of us are adult-size and then we have the two littler ones.  We parade through the neighborhood, collecting agates or trash, just talking in small groups.   It is a tradition we just all assume and plan on, but I never knew anyone cared.

I know, none of this is especially inspiring or enlightening.  But it can be.  What’s inspiring is being in beautiful places, out in nature, with people you care about.  Walking makes you slow down.  There’s nothing to do but look around and think and share your thoughts with the people with you.  It’s not like you have to have good form or even special clothes.  You don’t have to really prepare for it, you can start today, right now, by walking down your driveway.  I know it’s good for us—we’ve all seen the research.  But I also feel it’s good for us.  I’ve developed close ties with the women I’ve walked with over the years, and I’m pretty sure it’s contributed to the closeness we feel as a family.  We’re in love with being outside in nature, being kind of slow, and just spending time together.  It’s a beautiful way to travel through life.