I seem to be getting ‘strolls’ into all my post titles lately, can you imagine if I tried to do that all that time? Good grief Penfold! Not only would it get increasingly tricky but I think it would soon become intensely irritating. That doesn’t mean this will be the last time I do it though as I do love a bit of alliteration. So shoe-horning strolls into every post title is not a habit I’m going to continue but while we’re on the subject of habits that neatly brings me on to today’s writing prompt:
Well this is a blog about walking so no prizes for guessing what my answer will be but I’m going to be a bit more speicific rather than just walking in general. One habit that brings me joy is walking as part of my commute. This may sound contradictory given I recently wrote about wanting to retire and my commute is a reminder that I am not a lady of leisure. However while I must work it’s important to make the most of the moments of joy and my morning walk is certainly one of those moments.
Introducing walking into the morning commute has several benefits, first and foremost it allows me to start the day in a calm and pleasant way. It’s a great way to get you in the right frame of mind to take on whatever the day has in store for you. Adding a walk into your commute also means that you are incorporating walking into your routine so you don’t have to think and plan ahead to get a decent walk in each week. Without thinking about it you are benefitting from a weekly boost to your physical and mental health. Any other walks you manage to fit in are pure gravy and yes they will also be good exercise but they are more likely taken for leisure, as a means to relax or simply to enjoy being outside, connecting with nature.
I think it was introducing walking as part of my commute that helped me appreciate that walking is not just a form of exercise or a leisure activity but it is also a form of tranport. Throughout my working life I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to include walking as part of my commute, originally my entire commute was on foot but now that I live further away I’ve managed to still make the time to incorporate a walk within my journey from home to office. Perhaps it’s because I’ve almost always used walking within my commutes that this has had the knock-on effect of my using walking as a form of transport within other journeys as well.
For example last weekend I was fortunate enough to see Bruce Springsteen at Wembley Stadium. This was my third time seeing him and realistically it was probably the last time, that being said the energy that man exudes was phenomenal to watch and it seems entirely plausible that he will still be rocking when he’s 100 so who knows? There’s a reason we call him The Boss and I don’t see any signs of him relinquishing that title any time soon. Anyway what I was talking about? Oh yes, walking as a form of transport. So while we were keen to see Bruce we were not keen on the idea of being a part of the mad scrum to catch the last train home, all packed in like sardines. No thank you! We booked into a hotel a couple of miles away from the stadium, and this is where I eventually get to the point.
When the hotel was booked there was never any question of us using any other method other than our feet to get from the accommodation to the stadium. It was only a couple of miles after all. But it seemed we were in the minority as we only started to see crowds of people as we reached the venue’s perimeter. We knew the hotel, and others nearby, were fully booked with Bruce loving guests so why were the pavements so quiet? We saw a lot of cars, gridlocked on the road and we saw plenty of people wearing Springsteen t-shirts stood at bus stops. However there seemed to be hardly any pedestrians making their way to the concert. To be honest this is another reason way I like walking to and from events like this so part of me is wary about encouraging others to follow suit. I like the fact that at the end of the evening as the majority of others were streaming into the tube station, we were salmon-like, going against the crowd and getting away from the throng. As you may have gathered while I like certain individuals I am not keen on crowds, yes they added to the atmosphere of the concert but once that was over I wanted to be as far away from them as possible and on foot was the fastest way to do that.
I love that sense of escape and I love the immediacy of it, I don’t have to hang around waiting for a bus or a tube. If you drive then yes you are soon safely in your own little tin-can but then you are just stuck within a metal crowd instead of a physical one, waiting for the other cans to move so that you can start your journey. When you’re walking, you’re instantly on the move and while you may have to pause and zig-zag your way through, you’re soon away from the crowd and probably back in the comfort of your room a lot more quickly then others, and even if it isn’t always faster, it’s certainly less stressful.
What was the question again? Oh yes a habit that brings you joy. So my answer is that walking as a form of transport is a habit that has brought, and continues to bring, me joy. Whether it’s getting my work-day started in the best possible way or allowing me to enjoy a concert without worrying about a stressful journey to or from the venue; walking as tranport has given me more options when travelling and helps to keep me grounded and joyful.
That’s how I stroll.
Soothing Strolls 
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