I stroll, therefore I am?

Daily writing prompt

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

Funnily enough my answer to this question is this very blog! I’ve only recenty added my name to the ‘About Me‘ section, not because I was trying to be mysterious or enigmatic but simply because I assumed I’d be the only one reading it. While I’m happy to have little chats with myself in my head, to do it online seemed a step too far…
“Hello I’m Charlotte and I love walking”
“Really? So do I! Do you also like trees?”
“I do!”
The thought of telling myself who I am seemed a bit daft but then again if I’m replying to comments it felt wrong and a bit robotic to just be known as ‘Soothing Strolls’. So hello world, I’m Charlotte and I enjoy walking 👋

However in the physical world the majority of people in my life have no idea that I have this blog. That doesn’t mean I’m embarrassed by it, not at all I realy enjoy writing on here, it’s more that I like it being my thing without people I know asking about it or making ‘helpful’ suggestions of things to do with it. It’s also pleasing to think that anyone following me now is doing so simply because they also enjoy walking rather than feeling they should because they know me. I’m sure at some point I’ll bring my two worlds together but for the time being it’s rather pleasant having a secret world to escape into.

This may sound a little silly but another reason I finally decided to put my name to this blog is ChatGPT. Now I can’t even begin to imagine why anyone would want to use a chatbot to set up a blog about walking, in fact that seems rather cruel, I mean the poor chatbot can’t even go for a walk! I guess my concern was that if I kept refusing to use a name people could lose interest and assume it was a chatbot, it’s hard to feel an affinity with a robot.

I like writing so when I first heard about ChatGPT I’ll confess to feeling a little threatened, was this bot going to takeover something I enjoy? However recently I’ve been trying to embrace it, use the chatbot to complete menial tasks giving you more time to focus on the tasks only a human can do i.e creative writing. I was heartened to see Bill Bailey making this very point when he was on the Graham Norton show a couple of weeks ago. He made the excellent point that while computers can copy and mimic, a chatbot will never threaten the true creatives such as fellow guest & lyrical genius Bernie Taupin.

While I’d hardly class myself as a writer, I’m not even a fully fledged blogger yet, however I like to think that a bot couldn’t write my posts. I mean would a robot be sad that we rarely use the word agog anymore? Or mourn the loss of a tree? So I decided to test my theory and prove that Soothing Strolls is written by a person (me!) and not a chatbot. I asked ChatGPT to “write a paragraph for a blog about walking to improve your wellbeing” and this was the result…

In the hustle and bustle of modern life, the simplest activities often hold the key to our overall wellbeing. One such activity is walking, a powerful yet underrated tool for improving both physical and mental health. As we lace up our shoes and step out into the world, we embark on a journey that extends far beyond mere exercise. Walking is a mindful practice that connects us with our surroundings, offering a respite from the screens and stresses that dominate our daily lives. It allows us to breathe in fresh air, soak in the beauty of nature, and invigorate our bodies with each step. In this blog, we’ll explore the myriad benefits of walking, from enhanced cardiovascular health to reduced stress levels, and uncover how this seemingly simple act can be a transformative force for your overall wellbeing. So, let’s take that first step towards a healthier, happier you.

I have to confess I’m actually quite impressed! In fact I’m sure I’ve made similar points to the ones the chatbot has made in some of my previous posts, however, to me, the bot still sounds like a textbook. There are no real-world examples of how walking has helped the writer, there are also no tangents or terrible puns. A-ha, I have just given myself the perfect excuse for making bad jokes – to prove I’m not a robot!

So instead of rolling your eyes when I make a bad pun or veer off topic to discuss the trustworthiness of cows you should be grateful that you are in fact reading words written by a real-life human instead of concise copy produced by a chatbot. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!

Once again I seem to have wandered off the main path but that’s ok. When I do finally decide to share this blog with my real-world friends I doubt they will be surprised by my tangents, not that I’m loquacious – far from it – but I can be a little random. I guess before I go I should link this back to the original question. To sum up while everyone knows I love walking, most people don’t know that I have a blog. So to those of you that do know welcome to an exclusive club and thank you for joining me!

That’s how I stroll (and how I blog).