Me… Walking/Hiking

[arthur_p_dent]

Yes, I’m combining a couple of interests into one post this week, but only because they’re so closely related. 

I’ve always been a fairly independent person. Much of my youth was spent without other means of transport, so I developed the habit of walking pretty much everywhere. It’s something that has stuck with me all these years, both as a means of travel, and simply for the recreational aspects of it.

My first experience “engaging in this independence” (and all the helicopter parents and millennials out there are going to cringe after reading this) was when I was in kindergarten. I had school in the morning and day care in the afternoon, and each day one of my parents would pick me up at lunchtime to bring me from one to the other. I’ll bet some of you can already see where this is going. One day there was a miscommunication - each parent thought it was the others’ turn - and nobody arrived. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, I made the decision that I would just walk to the day care. After all, nobody was there to get me, and we had driven that way so often that I knew the way - why not just walk there?

Yes - I walked the whole way (about 2.5 km).
Yes - I was barely five.
Yes - I got my ass tanned good for that one (even though it wasn’t me that forgot to pick me up).

And yes, I’ve really been wanting to tell that story. 8D

So like I said, walking has long since been a part of my life. All through school, during summers to the community pool, to pretty much every friend’s house, paper routes, hiking through nature trails and wood lots, golf courses, etc, etc, etc. I was close to 20 before I had a car and didn’t have to walk so much. But the habit stuck.

These days it’s more recreational than anything. I try to go for a walk most days, as long as the weather isn’t being awful. I find it’s good to step away - especially on work days - and be able to clear my head. And there’s the dog, who needs her daily constitutional as well. I’ve even found a couple of friends who enjoy a good walk just as much as I do, and I really enjoy sharing that time.

And who knows? Maybe one day I’ll find myself in your (whomever may be reading this) neck of the woods, and we can share a stroll together. =]