Under normal circumstances, taking a daily walk is not usually my thing.
I swear to you, they have been my everyday anchor during this unprecedented time.
Knee surgery, thats how.
Adobe Stock
It was quite literally the only thing I could do for a bit.
Surprising no one, I am not that great at slowing down.
One might say I have a sheer inability to sit still, and one might be very correct.
Knee surgery was that force for me.
Oh, the naivete.
A few days later I was (finally) out on my first post-surgery walk.
It was the best walk of my life.
All 0.2 miles of it.
It was a walk taken with purpose, on purpose.
I gave myself a destination that really mattered to me (vote!)
and that wasnt overwhelming for my abilities at the time.
And then I kept walking.
Slowly, the compensatory limping subsided, the walking became easier, and it started to feel more normal.
The story could very well end here.
But lets keep it real, there is nothing normally scheduled or routine about anything in 2020.
While I started these walks for physical rehab, they quickly transitioned into emotional and soul rehab.
They brought me daily peace.
I began to notice just how much I noticed.
I stepped through the neighborhood matching houses with their humans.
I noticed the pulse of the neighborhood.
I noticed how there was a comfort in feeling that pulse in my steps.
I walked with purpose, on purpose.
Sometimes exactly like meditation.
Do I always walk in silence, then?
Sometimes sitting for an hour with incense burning in complete silence for meditation is unreasonable for me.
Okay, its almost always unreasonable for me, but thats another story.
I do what makes sense for me and what seems attainable enough that I will actually do it.
I let my walks reflect my reality and my needs in that moment.
Lets face it: Sheltering in place toys with our emotions.
On days when I feel particularly scattered in my emotions, I throw on hip-hop.
On days when I just need to laugh, I might scroll through memes on Instagram.
I dont recommend this last one while walking, for the record.
Theres really no way to do it wrong, and that is yet another benefit.
Ready to lace up, mask up, and head out the door?
Heres how to start:
Keep it short at first.
Remember: with purpose, on purpose.
Maybe you go first thing in the morning.
Up to you; but go when you feel ready and up for it.
Know that you dont have to commit to the same thing the whole time.
Pay attention to anything and everything.
Notice and note it.
We are all still learning how to adjust our normal social etiquette for social distancing.
Maybe this isnt as soul saving for you as it is for me.
I just hope you find something that works for you.
I know fatigue is setting in.
I know we are aching for normalcy.
Find something, like these walks, that brings you some semblance of normalcy, that helps anchor you.
We will all come out of this, one step at a time.
One foot in front of the other.
With purpose, on purpose.
