Walking

This past weekend, I went on a hike with some friends and my dog. The hike holds meaning for me for a couple of reasons. Number 1. I get to strike a line through an item on my 30 by 30 list. Number 2. I am reminded of how much walking is a meditation; a time for personal reflection. I am intrigued by the following thought from Rebecca Solnit that she shares in her book, Wanderlust. "The subject of walking is, in some sense, about how we invest universal acts with particular meanings. Like eating or breathing, it can be invested with wildly different cultural meanings, from the erotic to the spiritual, from the revolutionary to the artistic."

I believe we often forgo chance and hinder meaning as we drive around in our cars, always in a rush. We overlook experiences and abandon outlets when we do not walk. Soren Kierkegaard wrote, "In order to bear mental tension such as mine, I need diversion, the diversion of chance contacts on the streets and alleys because association with a few individuals is actually no diversion. It is the accidental and insignificant things in life which are significant."

I love that I can roam, wander, and choose to pursue a certain course. I love the option of chance, the unplanned and the unforeseen.

I cannot wait for my next walk.