The Joy of Walking

How often do you walk or run?

I enjoy walking. On my best days, I walk twice: I walk in the afternoon for exercise and then in the evening for pleasure with my wife. Both walks enrich my life. In recent days, the evening walk has been regular; the afternoon walk has been more sporadic. Here are some of the gifts these walks give me:

Presence. Whether I am walking with my wife or alone, I experience something larger than me. I am part of a larger Presence, feeling it in the breeze, the sunshine, the raindrops, the conversation, and the Silence. The Presence is teaching me to be present.

Connection. As I walk, I am continuously awakened to how connected everything and everyone are to everything and everyone else. While we each manifest a unique presence, we are part of a larger connectedness.

Exercise. Walks stretch my body and keep it in working order. Walks also stretch my heart both as an organ that pumps blood and as an organ that is spiritually receptive. What I see, say, share, hear, smell, and touch open my heart. It does not hurt that walking also releases stress in the body.

Spaciousness. Stepping out of the front door, my world unfurls into a wide sky and a diverse, wild frontier of nature; it is a balm to my yearning soul. There is more space than “solid;” this is the Reality of the Universe in microcosm down to the atomic level.

Whether I walk once or twice a day, each walk gives more to me than I anticipate. Every moment, every step, is fresh and new. Walks are a gift!