I don't just like going for walks, I generally enjoy walking a lot.
In the small town where I live, I do everything on foot. (Admittedly, my husband does the weekly grocery shopping - by car.) In 35 to 40 minutes I can be everywhere.
Walking is just perfect for me - and here’s why:
Why I love walking - time for details
While walking in nature, but also in town, I have time to notice the little things along the way. Things that could most easily be overlooked when going by bike or by car. You don’t miss much when you have time to watch or to listen.
The song of a blackbird, the first buds in spring. The warmth that rises from a summerly path. Dewdrops on a beautiful spider’s web in Sepember. The first chestnut on the pavement. The silence of the world when it has snowed.
All these little discoveries make me smile, let me breathe more deeply. I feel more connected to what’s around me.
When visiting a new place, my husband and I prefer to explore it on foot. Also and especially big cities. We have walked endlessly in London, Copenhagen, Berlin, Frankfurt am Main. I did the same with my dad in Barcelona.
In my experience, you get to know a place in a completely different way while walking. No speeding past, no separating glass pane between you and the surroundings. You get a feel for the place, you can really take in the atmosphere.
Why I need walking - time for thoughts
While walking I’m often deep in thoughts. (Come to think about it, I’m deep in thoughts most of the time, no surprises here.)
But more to the point:
I particularly like walking to meetings or appointments (and back).
It gives me the needed time to prepare myself for what's coming, to go through possible topics and, if it's more formal, also what I'm going to say. I like to be prepared for as many scenarios as I can think of. (Well, that’s how I am.)
On my way back, I can start to process what was said, what was meant, what was new to me and what implications all this might have. Even before I come home.
As an HSP, I know that this is more necessary for me than for other people.
I take in a lot more, a lot more details, put everything in relation to each other, see all possible variations, what could result and how things could continue. For others, for myself, for projects.
I often sense how the other person felt, even if they didn't say anything. I record these feelings and then have to separate them from my own.
For this I need me-time, alone-time.
“I need the time for preparation and follow-up to get back to my centre, to find my balance.”
I needed that especially on my way to and from work. To adjust to what was happening that day. And even more so to be able to detach myself from what was going on. Admittedly, the 10 minutes home weren't enough and sometimes I took detours. (More about quitting my favourite job here.)
Going for walks - spending time with others
During the pandemic, walking with others became a rediscovery. At first, it was the only thing you were still allowed to do and it also felt safe to meet in the open air.
But then, I still prefer to go for a walk in nature with others rather than meeting up at a café or going to a restaurant because it also suits me an HSP and introvert.
The ambient noise is lower (or much more more pleasant) than in a café or restaurant, where you can hardly escape the music (the horror!) and the snatches of other people's conversations. I find it rather destracting and exhausting, too much and it makes me dizzy.
Being out in the fresh air, moving while talking, I find it contributes to a positive mood.
These walks have become a habit with several friends now, all year round. I love it!
Why walking suits my way of life - slow and simple
Okay, I know, it’s kind of self-explanatory. You can’t get any simpler - or slower for that matter - from A to B. But there’s more to it:
Walking is free and no equipment is required.
I can walk (almost) anywhere and at any time of day.
Walking reduces stress.
For thousands of years, walking was the most important means of transport for humans. Our bodies are made for it. Today, we sit in front of screens most of the time. That just can’t be good.
In case you were wondering, yes, of course, I go by car or train (I don’t have a bike at the moment) to reach destinations I otherwise wouldn’t or only with much inconvenience, and that’s fine. I’m all for practicality.
However, the means of transport I actually don’t use anymore are planes and high-speed trains. I always felt weird and uncomfortable during and after the travelling. It felt as if my soul couldn't keep up with my body. (Odd, right?)
All in all, walking just suits me in several respects.
Can you relate?
“On foot, the soul keeps pace.”
3 very different books about walking I enjoyed
I love reading about people’s adventures while walking. Here are three very different books I’ve read in recent years that I enjoyed:
The Salt Path: A Memoir, Raynor Winn
Just days after Raynor learns that her husband is terminally ill, their home is taken away and they lose their livelihood. With nothing left and little time, they make the impulsive decision to walk the 630 miles of the sea-swept South West Coast Path in England, from Somerset to Dorset, via Devon and Cornwall.
An inspiring journey of hope and beautiful nature descriptions.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Rachel Joyce
A touching and charming novel about a man who leaves home one morning to post a letter, with his wife hoovering upstairs. He has no idea that he is about to walk from one end of England to the other - with no hiking boots or map, let alone a compass or mobile phone. All he knows is that he must keep walking. To save someone else’s life.
I’ve read this book many times. It’s one of my favourites.
It’s also been made into a film recently with the wonderful Jim Broadbent.
Wandern, Glück und lange Ohren: Mit Esel Jonny zu Fuß von München bis ans Mittelmeer, Lotta Lubkoll
(A German title, not translated - yet.) 80 days, 600 kilometres: Lotta hiked from Munich (Southern Germany) to the Adriatic coast in Italy. Her donkey Jonny sets the more leisurely pace, and the spirited Lotta has to learn to be patient with her decelerated donkey. On the plus side, it's only at three kilometres per hour that you discover the real treasures along the way.
This extraordinary travelogue about crossing the Alps with a donkey made me smile.
Any good books on the topic you would like to recommend? I’m looking forward to your suggestions!
Yes, we love walking too! In fact, we've been car-less for twenty years now, of course living in Europe makes this much easier than other places. Yesterday Csermely and I took a bus to the city. The walk to the stop is about 3 kilometers, followed by an hour and fifteen minute bus ride, walked 3+ kilometers up a hill to visit friends, walked down hill to the mall because I needed something I can't get here which was approximately another 3 km, walked to the bus, got on bus back to the stop at the top of the road and had to walk 3 more kilometers home. I don't count steps, but the whole day was about 13-14 kilometers of walking. The more you do it, the easier it gets. The introvert in me also likes walking, especially in the park or the woods, to be quiet with my thoughts, deciding if I should share them, or keep them to myself. Wishing you many happy walks in nature!