Desperately Seeking...a gentler way to get from A to B
Jenny gets her swagger on.
If sitting is the new tobacco, walking is the new green macha smoothie served by Pete Evans in a recycled mason jar.
Under-appreciated and undervalued, much like an English teacher explaining “Catcher in the Rye” in last period on a Friday. I am talking about walking that is, not Pete Evans. We ALL appreciate Peter Evans (except for that bone broth baby book, we don’t talk about that – Shhhh).
Walking is something I have been doing for a long long time and by now I am pretty good at it. I am experienced; nuanced. I can wander, swagger, mosie, shuffle, glide and stagger in a walk that is totally unique to me. You too have a walk that is totally unique to you. Watch people on the street all walking in the same direction but with their own take on this ancient art. The gentle intuitive choreography of the human frame. Most people when walking in a group will subconsciously walk in step. Betcha never noticed.
Walking is so easy – we all do it everyday. It is so cheap even Aldi cannot compete and you can do it any time anywhere – some people even do it when they are asleep.
Not only is walking an excellent form of exercise, it is a great way to release stress and increase your quality of life. Dogs totally get it. They are the happiest beings on earth. For a dog, no walk is boring. Every walk is just SO EXCITING. A chance at a sensory overload to satisfy their curiosity. I too am now dog-like in my approach to walking. I wander the neighbourhood taking in every detail, smelling the roses and occasionally tagging my favourite chair at my local café.
I can often be seen wandering the neighbourhood with my mauve trolley in hand. Some call it Nana-like, I call it Nana fabulous.
We all seem to be so impressed by the car a person drives but what if we were impressed by how far someone had walked. What if we were impressed by how they had escaped their insulated car bubble and interacted with the neighbourhood like a REAL person, having REAL eye contact, and REAL incidental conversations with fellow citizens. Stop it. I’m too radical. How would we judge people? Maybe we wouldn’t – ahhhh!
If sugar is the new salt, walking is the new Michelle Bridges meditating and breast feeding while taking a Spin Pilates class for obsese Australians. That is quiet, gentle and carbon free. I’m talking about walking that is, not Michelle Bridges. No-one could have thought I was talking about Michelle Bridges.