Walk On
When I was in high school, I ran cross country all four years. One year, at the end of practice, we were talking about t-shirt ideas for our team. One idea that our coach suggested was "'Walk' is a four-letter word". We didn't fully understand it in the moment, but his rationale was that it was a bad word like other four-letter words. You know, in a sport that's about running, walking is a bad thing.
In cross country, walking is the last thing that you want do during a race. However, outside of the cross country course, walking isn't so bad. Over the years, walking is something that I've come to really enjoy. There's just something simple yet relaxing about walking. It's a way to get in some exercise, but also a way to take in the sights and sounds of the area. Walking provides that peaceful, soothing feeling that allows one to get lost in one's thoughts. Come to think of it, I've also found walking to be a good stress-reliever when I get frustrated or just need to mentally change the channel. Granted, walking isn't always fun during the humid Houston summers or when there's rain (though umbrellas make this a little easier)
Over the past year and eight months, I've been incredibly fortunate to be able to walk to work. In a city known for it's crazy traffic and long commutes, it truly is nice having a short commute that gets in exercise along the way. It is also nice to be able to walk home for lunch, eat a nice meal, watch an episode of The Office or Spongebob Squarepants, and then walk back to work. There have even been times I've seen friends and coworkers drive by on my walk home It's also nice knowing that at the end of a long day of work instead of having to sit in rush-hour traffic for a while that I'm just a ten to fifteen minute walk from home. On days when I'm frustrated or feeling down, the walk home is a nice way to cool down and gradually decompress.
For those that may not know, walking to work is something that actually started out as a necessity for me. When I first moved to Houston last year, I didn't have a car - and knew that I would be without one for a while. Therefore, my options for getting around town (specifically to work) were either taking the bus or walking. As someone that wasn't familiar with Houston and the area, I ultimately went with finding a place close to the office and walking to work. That said, I did find myself taking the bus to the grocery store Saturday mornings, church on Sunday mornings, and the occasional trip to a coffee shop in Montrose. For about 5-6 months, walking and the bus were my two ways of getting around Houston. While I (thankfully) have a car now, I've still found myself walking to work most days, partially because the commute ends up taking about the same amount of time.
For me though, my enjoyment of walking goes beyond getting to work. One thing that I enjoy about going to a new city or college campus is just walking around taking in all the sights and sounds of the city or campus. When you walk around places, you get to see and notice things that you might not get to if you were driving around. Part of that may be that walking is slower and gives a person a chance to truly take it all in. It's pretty cool to be able to walk around the likes of Seattle, Boise, San Diego, and Denver or to explore college campuses like Boise State, Rice, Wisconsin, or Washington. It gives you chance to experience the places more and get a different "feel" for where you are.
Although I can't pinpoint when I started to enjoy walking around so much, there is one memory I have from high school that sticks out. One summer, my family went up to New Hampshire for a weekend to visit my sister, who was in college at the time and spending the summer there. There was one morning that I had to myself and I decided to go for a walk. Along the way, after going down one street that looked less crowded, I found myself at a bridge and the Connecticut River. When I crossed over the other side of the bridge, it turned out that this was also the New Hampshire-Vermont state line and I had "walked" to Vermont. Now to be clear, the Dartmouth campus is less than a mile away from the Vermont border, so it's not as impressive when put in that context. Still, it was fun to joke about walking to Vermont, a feat that I repeated a few years later after a bizarre set of circumstances led to me spending the night in New Hampshire with my sister.
For giggles and grins, there is one other walk that still stands out to me as well: years ago, on a Saturday afternoon, my Dad and I (and possibly my brother) walked from our house to Hollywood Video, picked up a movie to rent, and then walked home. The fact that I mentioned Hollywood Video alone goes to show you how long ago this was. Looking it up on a map, this would have been about 1.3 miles away, or a little more than 2.5 miles round trip, an impressive feat considering the streets we had to cross to do that. It's amazing what things we remember from our childhood.
These days, when I go back home or when I'm looking at potential places to visit, one thing that I keep in mind is being able to go for a walk somewhere. In Virginia. that tends to mean my elementary school or Dunkin' Donuts. In other places, that tends to be downtown or a nearby college campus. If I can ever swing it, that may also mean "walking" to another state. And while the idea of walking across America does sound really fun, in reality I think I'll settle for walking around cities, college campuses, and the occasional walk to another state close by.
When it comes to small joys in life that I enjoy, walking truly is one of those small joys. It's funny how the smallest of joys can make the biggest difference. Walking is one of those things that is so simple that I think I take it for granted sometimes. There's not a simpler way of getting around than one's own two feet. I've been really fortunate to be able to get to walk to work for over a year now. While I realize that there will inevitably come a time when I won't be able to anymore, it's been really nice to be able to do this for a while. Plus, I can take solace in knowing that going a walk in the evening is always an option, too.
In cross country, walking is the last thing that you want do during a race. However, outside of the cross country course, walking isn't so bad. Over the years, walking is something that I've come to really enjoy. There's just something simple yet relaxing about walking. It's a way to get in some exercise, but also a way to take in the sights and sounds of the area. Walking provides that peaceful, soothing feeling that allows one to get lost in one's thoughts. Come to think of it, I've also found walking to be a good stress-reliever when I get frustrated or just need to mentally change the channel. Granted, walking isn't always fun during the humid Houston summers or when there's rain (though umbrellas make this a little easier)
Over the past year and eight months, I've been incredibly fortunate to be able to walk to work. In a city known for it's crazy traffic and long commutes, it truly is nice having a short commute that gets in exercise along the way. It is also nice to be able to walk home for lunch, eat a nice meal, watch an episode of The Office or Spongebob Squarepants, and then walk back to work. There have even been times I've seen friends and coworkers drive by on my walk home It's also nice knowing that at the end of a long day of work instead of having to sit in rush-hour traffic for a while that I'm just a ten to fifteen minute walk from home. On days when I'm frustrated or feeling down, the walk home is a nice way to cool down and gradually decompress.
For those that may not know, walking to work is something that actually started out as a necessity for me. When I first moved to Houston last year, I didn't have a car - and knew that I would be without one for a while. Therefore, my options for getting around town (specifically to work) were either taking the bus or walking. As someone that wasn't familiar with Houston and the area, I ultimately went with finding a place close to the office and walking to work. That said, I did find myself taking the bus to the grocery store Saturday mornings, church on Sunday mornings, and the occasional trip to a coffee shop in Montrose. For about 5-6 months, walking and the bus were my two ways of getting around Houston. While I (thankfully) have a car now, I've still found myself walking to work most days, partially because the commute ends up taking about the same amount of time.
For me though, my enjoyment of walking goes beyond getting to work. One thing that I enjoy about going to a new city or college campus is just walking around taking in all the sights and sounds of the city or campus. When you walk around places, you get to see and notice things that you might not get to if you were driving around. Part of that may be that walking is slower and gives a person a chance to truly take it all in. It's pretty cool to be able to walk around the likes of Seattle, Boise, San Diego, and Denver or to explore college campuses like Boise State, Rice, Wisconsin, or Washington. It gives you chance to experience the places more and get a different "feel" for where you are.
Although I can't pinpoint when I started to enjoy walking around so much, there is one memory I have from high school that sticks out. One summer, my family went up to New Hampshire for a weekend to visit my sister, who was in college at the time and spending the summer there. There was one morning that I had to myself and I decided to go for a walk. Along the way, after going down one street that looked less crowded, I found myself at a bridge and the Connecticut River. When I crossed over the other side of the bridge, it turned out that this was also the New Hampshire-Vermont state line and I had "walked" to Vermont. Now to be clear, the Dartmouth campus is less than a mile away from the Vermont border, so it's not as impressive when put in that context. Still, it was fun to joke about walking to Vermont, a feat that I repeated a few years later after a bizarre set of circumstances led to me spending the night in New Hampshire with my sister.
For giggles and grins, there is one other walk that still stands out to me as well: years ago, on a Saturday afternoon, my Dad and I (and possibly my brother) walked from our house to Hollywood Video, picked up a movie to rent, and then walked home. The fact that I mentioned Hollywood Video alone goes to show you how long ago this was. Looking it up on a map, this would have been about 1.3 miles away, or a little more than 2.5 miles round trip, an impressive feat considering the streets we had to cross to do that. It's amazing what things we remember from our childhood.
These days, when I go back home or when I'm looking at potential places to visit, one thing that I keep in mind is being able to go for a walk somewhere. In Virginia. that tends to mean my elementary school or Dunkin' Donuts. In other places, that tends to be downtown or a nearby college campus. If I can ever swing it, that may also mean "walking" to another state. And while the idea of walking across America does sound really fun, in reality I think I'll settle for walking around cities, college campuses, and the occasional walk to another state close by.
When it comes to small joys in life that I enjoy, walking truly is one of those small joys. It's funny how the smallest of joys can make the biggest difference. Walking is one of those things that is so simple that I think I take it for granted sometimes. There's not a simpler way of getting around than one's own two feet. I've been really fortunate to be able to get to walk to work for over a year now. While I realize that there will inevitably come a time when I won't be able to anymore, it's been really nice to be able to do this for a while. Plus, I can take solace in knowing that going a walk in the evening is always an option, too.
All of this is to say, walking is a simple yet enjoyable activity. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go walk home now. There's benefits to living by a Starbucks within walking distance.
Walking around Houston is fun, but so is walking around in new places like Boise
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