I’m in a liminal space of stubbornness. It’s a little craw I always get stuck in post-tour. I don’t want to engage with anything that takes effort, which is a problem because I am a hyperactive person who thrives on tasks. As you can imagine it creates a little inner-fight that pushes and pulls and generates, what else?: Anxiety. I had to force myself to take the dogs out into the Lung last night, and I’m really glad I did. (except for the giant tick on my thigh.) Walking and hiking breaks the spell of inner crab. It was fresh and muddy (the dogs managed to bring half of it home with them…) and green as you can imagine. The smell of
Oh gosh this makes me remember how when I lived in New York City I would walk miles every day -- like from the East Village to Lincoln Center; from Times Square all the way down to Washington Square Park. And when I first moved to Chicago it’s how I learned the land of the land -- or Wicker Park at least. I love how these walks helped inscribe a city on my body, because no matter how much the urban landscape changes, the road map is still the same.
Instead of sitting around, waiting for the bus, I'll start walking in the direction of travel toward the next stop. I use the "One Bus Away" app that tracks the buses so I know when to stop and actually wait, but sometimes, due to scheduling or whatnot, I'll end up walking the route I was going to ride, and listen to a podcast along the way.
I do the same thing during winter time when I use the bus to commute to work. I kinda always hope I miss the bus so i can walk 30 minutes to catch the next one 😂
When I don’t know what to do next, I walk. I also NEED to move a lot to quiet my brain and re-center myself and if I don’t spend as much time as possible outside I get like a Tiger in a cage. As a former distance runner, I’ve embraced the slower pace and less stress of walking. I suppose I’m becoming somewhat of a flaneur. Taking photos and observing nature and people calms me down and gets me out of my head.
I’m a professional dog walker now -- after 30 years as a video editor my joints and carpal tunnel forced me to rethink my “career.” Best decision I’ve ever made. 20k steps is not uncommon for one day. And the pups keep reminding me to stay in the present and prioritize silliness.
Sounds like you, Neko, know of this dog walking joy and gentle canine teaching....
I relate Neko, some days I can feel my body fossilizing from lack of movement! it's always over 100 degrees in Austin which has made me not walk. I keep meaning to go to the mall in the morning like the olds in their track suits speedwalking in the AC. I like an occasional spin class or orange theory place, but I don't get enough daily. My doc recommended an Oura ring to help me make better sleep habits, it notifies me if I sit too long and has been helpful. If I have a rehearsal I put it on my right hand so it thinks I'm doing more than I'm actually doing--because the hand is going up and down on the guitar--I guess I'm wired to find the hack. I'm pleasantly surprised when I can rack up 5000 steps pacing back and forth on a phone call, and I have a really cool little trampoline that I mainly use because it's supposed to be good for lymphatic system. At least you stretch. My yoga mat has been on the floor for 10 days as a nudge, but I've only done it once. sigh.
Neko, find something new to walk with/ a neighbor DONKEY? Goat? Horse?
Im having a very hard time now- all the sudden my 10.5 yr old dog does not want to do the delicious long walks around the W Seattle peninsula any more. Its horrible.
Well, i am now reading and lounging more…but- as you say…distance is key.
Ok, this may sound goofy, but I've been listening to the Witch School podcast series by adrienne marie brown (part of her How to Survive the End of the World feed) while I'm pulling weeds/invasive tree seedlings out of the landscape beds around our place. I'm moving and exercising my body, and the lessons I'm learning are being embodied in the movements and they're discussing the inner self-work my thoughts naturally gravitate to when I'm gardening or out on the land. Then when I'm done and showered I go for a walk to stretch my back and legs and listen to music. The last several years have changed how I work and I walk much less than when I worked in health care and animal care, so I have to carve out time for moving enough to make me feel good.
I'm going out soon for my daily walk on the beach front. I am from Vermont and for some reason I rarely walk when I'm there. Leaving for Calabria this May I was not feeling well, weak, sore joints and could barely walk through the airports. I was depressed that I may never be able to again enjoy my walk on the lido. I was determined to anyway, try. At first I took it easy, a little at a time. By day three, I was able to walk 3 km one way to the supermarket in the next town. So I am with you on the magic that walking can do for the organism. Thank you.
I don’t have a car so I bicycle or walk everywhere. I have 18 kilometres (11 miles) to work so I bicycle daily about 22 miles...during the winter months (december-march) I rely on bus and walking...
This "senior" tries to exercise enough to put off knee surgery. Combination of an indoor exercise/strengthening routine, then outside to stack split wood for the VT winter that will be here way too soon!
I went into a stubborn space where I decided that, for July and August, I would exercise *at least* 30 minutes every single day. No rest days. (Too much sitting at my day job and even more sitting when I write.) I made it 17 days, then my body knocked me on my keister for 3 days (EBV can be more stubborn than me). My fault for not listening to what my body was asking for, my fault for thinking I could push through it. I'll remember to listen now. I love fast walking on my urban hikes up the hilly streets north of me, doing yoga and kettlebells, and the deep love affair with my rowing machine. Exercise is the time when my mind connects with my body. They get to have a conversation, and I get to be quiet. xo
As a PNW native, I confess to loving my walks in the RAIN. Even the ones where your socks get soaked through your inadequate shoes and your only hope of rewarming your innards afterward is a hot shower.
It’s been a warm, dry summer on Whidbey -- your post made me long for the next solid, cool downpour. Thank you!
thank you for sharing! i love this, and i relate (except for the tick: yuccck!) i didn't have a car as a teen and i walked everywhere with my walkman too.
nowadays if i haven't moved enough by the end of the day, i am clenchy and don't sleep very well that night. lately i've been taking hour+ dog walks (listening to music or podcasts or audiobooks) in the morning, then a 30-45 minute swim at the end of the workday, where i often get the best creative epiphanies! i also try to take stretch/dance breaks throughout the day, especially if i'm hunched over my drawing pad.
Thanks for sparking a long ago habit. Walking long aimless distances in the rain in Portland is such a strong memory. And with music too, usually KEXP podcasts. The shoe gazer shows were a favorite, and so appropriate for the weather too. I most clearly remember doing this every night while doing a film project for a local theater group. Directing/collaborating with a crew is thrilling but chaotic. A million questions, a million options, all at once. I was happily exhausted by the end of the night but it was 2am and the dog needed a walk. Off we'd go and by the end of it the dog was happy; he liked the cool damp nights. He was a rugged, cool and composed dog and walking together with him made me feel invincible and needed. The truth of dogs is that we are really there to keep them safe, not the other way around. By the end of the walk I was back to earth with only my steps to think about and Astro's sharp eyes and nose to remind me of what is important.
I work behind 3 monitors, staring at and creating maps most days and it's easy to get stuck in that weird, non-mobile rut. There's this massive salt lake near my house that I hike after work and it's the best 6 mile hike in south Texas, full of birds, baby hogs, gigantic nilgai & cool-looking salt deposits. On my non-hiking days, I'll hope on the treadmill for a 3 mile run just to get the heart pumping the right way.
I listen to music, podcasts, books, or just nature and my own breathing. Listening to your body can be a wild experience sometimes. Anyhow, keep on moving about and holler if you're ever down by the Texas border.
Oh gosh this makes me remember how when I lived in New York City I would walk miles every day -- like from the East Village to Lincoln Center; from Times Square all the way down to Washington Square Park. And when I first moved to Chicago it’s how I learned the land of the land -- or Wicker Park at least. I love how these walks helped inscribe a city on my body, because no matter how much the urban landscape changes, the road map is still the same.
*lay of the land duh
Instead of sitting around, waiting for the bus, I'll start walking in the direction of travel toward the next stop. I use the "One Bus Away" app that tracks the buses so I know when to stop and actually wait, but sometimes, due to scheduling or whatnot, I'll end up walking the route I was going to ride, and listen to a podcast along the way.
I do the same thing during winter time when I use the bus to commute to work. I kinda always hope I miss the bus so i can walk 30 minutes to catch the next one 😂
When I don’t know what to do next, I walk. I also NEED to move a lot to quiet my brain and re-center myself and if I don’t spend as much time as possible outside I get like a Tiger in a cage. As a former distance runner, I’ve embraced the slower pace and less stress of walking. I suppose I’m becoming somewhat of a flaneur. Taking photos and observing nature and people calms me down and gets me out of my head.
I’m a professional dog walker now -- after 30 years as a video editor my joints and carpal tunnel forced me to rethink my “career.” Best decision I’ve ever made. 20k steps is not uncommon for one day. And the pups keep reminding me to stay in the present and prioritize silliness.
Sounds like you, Neko, know of this dog walking joy and gentle canine teaching....
I relate Neko, some days I can feel my body fossilizing from lack of movement! it's always over 100 degrees in Austin which has made me not walk. I keep meaning to go to the mall in the morning like the olds in their track suits speedwalking in the AC. I like an occasional spin class or orange theory place, but I don't get enough daily. My doc recommended an Oura ring to help me make better sleep habits, it notifies me if I sit too long and has been helpful. If I have a rehearsal I put it on my right hand so it thinks I'm doing more than I'm actually doing--because the hand is going up and down on the guitar--I guess I'm wired to find the hack. I'm pleasantly surprised when I can rack up 5000 steps pacing back and forth on a phone call, and I have a really cool little trampoline that I mainly use because it's supposed to be good for lymphatic system. At least you stretch. My yoga mat has been on the floor for 10 days as a nudge, but I've only done it once. sigh.
But you DID IT once!
Neko, find something new to walk with/ a neighbor DONKEY? Goat? Horse?
Im having a very hard time now- all the sudden my 10.5 yr old dog does not want to do the delicious long walks around the W Seattle peninsula any more. Its horrible.
Well, i am now reading and lounging more…but- as you say…distance is key.
I had the same experience working with a trainer. Paying for it made it a commitment I always showed up for. I wish we valued ourselves more.
Ok, this may sound goofy, but I've been listening to the Witch School podcast series by adrienne marie brown (part of her How to Survive the End of the World feed) while I'm pulling weeds/invasive tree seedlings out of the landscape beds around our place. I'm moving and exercising my body, and the lessons I'm learning are being embodied in the movements and they're discussing the inner self-work my thoughts naturally gravitate to when I'm gardening or out on the land. Then when I'm done and showered I go for a walk to stretch my back and legs and listen to music. The last several years have changed how I work and I walk much less than when I worked in health care and animal care, so I have to carve out time for moving enough to make me feel good.
I'm going out soon for my daily walk on the beach front. I am from Vermont and for some reason I rarely walk when I'm there. Leaving for Calabria this May I was not feeling well, weak, sore joints and could barely walk through the airports. I was depressed that I may never be able to again enjoy my walk on the lido. I was determined to anyway, try. At first I took it easy, a little at a time. By day three, I was able to walk 3 km one way to the supermarket in the next town. So I am with you on the magic that walking can do for the organism. Thank you.
I don’t have a car so I bicycle or walk everywhere. I have 18 kilometres (11 miles) to work so I bicycle daily about 22 miles...during the winter months (december-march) I rely on bus and walking...
This "senior" tries to exercise enough to put off knee surgery. Combination of an indoor exercise/strengthening routine, then outside to stack split wood for the VT winter that will be here way too soon!
I went into a stubborn space where I decided that, for July and August, I would exercise *at least* 30 minutes every single day. No rest days. (Too much sitting at my day job and even more sitting when I write.) I made it 17 days, then my body knocked me on my keister for 3 days (EBV can be more stubborn than me). My fault for not listening to what my body was asking for, my fault for thinking I could push through it. I'll remember to listen now. I love fast walking on my urban hikes up the hilly streets north of me, doing yoga and kettlebells, and the deep love affair with my rowing machine. Exercise is the time when my mind connects with my body. They get to have a conversation, and I get to be quiet. xo
Love this.
As a PNW native, I confess to loving my walks in the RAIN. Even the ones where your socks get soaked through your inadequate shoes and your only hope of rewarming your innards afterward is a hot shower.
It’s been a warm, dry summer on Whidbey -- your post made me long for the next solid, cool downpour. Thank you!
thank you for sharing! i love this, and i relate (except for the tick: yuccck!) i didn't have a car as a teen and i walked everywhere with my walkman too.
nowadays if i haven't moved enough by the end of the day, i am clenchy and don't sleep very well that night. lately i've been taking hour+ dog walks (listening to music or podcasts or audiobooks) in the morning, then a 30-45 minute swim at the end of the workday, where i often get the best creative epiphanies! i also try to take stretch/dance breaks throughout the day, especially if i'm hunched over my drawing pad.
Thanks for sparking a long ago habit. Walking long aimless distances in the rain in Portland is such a strong memory. And with music too, usually KEXP podcasts. The shoe gazer shows were a favorite, and so appropriate for the weather too. I most clearly remember doing this every night while doing a film project for a local theater group. Directing/collaborating with a crew is thrilling but chaotic. A million questions, a million options, all at once. I was happily exhausted by the end of the night but it was 2am and the dog needed a walk. Off we'd go and by the end of it the dog was happy; he liked the cool damp nights. He was a rugged, cool and composed dog and walking together with him made me feel invincible and needed. The truth of dogs is that we are really there to keep them safe, not the other way around. By the end of the walk I was back to earth with only my steps to think about and Astro's sharp eyes and nose to remind me of what is important.
I work behind 3 monitors, staring at and creating maps most days and it's easy to get stuck in that weird, non-mobile rut. There's this massive salt lake near my house that I hike after work and it's the best 6 mile hike in south Texas, full of birds, baby hogs, gigantic nilgai & cool-looking salt deposits. On my non-hiking days, I'll hope on the treadmill for a 3 mile run just to get the heart pumping the right way.
I listen to music, podcasts, books, or just nature and my own breathing. Listening to your body can be a wild experience sometimes. Anyhow, keep on moving about and holler if you're ever down by the Texas border.