Walking. It's pretty much a foreign word to most Americans. Walk? Are you kidding? Walk? Most Americans would sooner have a fist fight over a parking spot in front of the store than park 50 feet away and walk to the store.
Walking is one of life's little and free pleasures. And, how rewarding in today's tough economic times. Did I mention that it's free? It's healthy, can help curb your appetite and clear your head. Some of my most esteemed colleagues go on regular walks, some even using them as alternative venues for 1:1s with their direct reports.
I've long had this fascination with walking. And truth be known, I've prided myself as a somewhat more macho runner for many years. But our time spent overseas really changed our thinking about walking -- not as an exercise, but as a means to get from point A to point B. When we returned to the states, Lynne missed her long walks so much that she even walked from our house to a local shopping mall, which turns out is about three miles from the house. Also turns out that America is not a very friendly walking environment. That's mostly because it's ruled by cars and trucks. Little consideration is given to pedestrians. It's all about the roads and vehicles. As Lynne found out, there aren't even sidewalks or footpaths everywhere you need to go. Why isn't there a pedestrian only bridge over the Willamette in downtown Portland?
Since we had no car when we lived in London, we had to get everywhere on foot and with the help of public transportation. My commute there was about what it is here, but in the course of getting there and back every day, I put in about two miles walking. Here I put in about 50 yards. So, yesterday I took a hike and walked to an errand during my lunch hour. I felt great afterwards, it got me out of the office and cleared my head.
Now when I drive to a store with a large parking lot, I actually look for a spot farther away from the door. It's less contentious, you get a little more exercise in and probably save some wear and tear on your car doors.
1 comment:
Howdy Chuck, and I couldn't agree more with your post about the lifestyle of walking. Along with the growth of biking as a healthy way of getting from place to place, America's green journey has just begun.
We will always have a long ways to go, of course, for the most rewarding routes never end. And walking may seem to be an interminable way to get there, but at least it allows us to smell the flowers, see the clouds, talk to strangers, lose weight, and make Dr. Scholl smile.
There may be necessity or preference to travel by car at times, but hopefully America will use the fast lane less and less.
BTW, it is an 11-hour walk from Seaside, Oregon to Tillamook. Very enjoyable in good weather, I am told. I am also told by extremely serious pedestrians that Nike makes the best walking shoes.
John
Post a Comment