The joys of walking

 

One of the good things about the disciplines imposed by the Covid pandemic is that people are getting outdoors and walking more than most of them have done in years. I have settled into a happy rhythm of two to three miles a day—including Sundays (even in football season).     

A recent article by Deborah Grayson Riegel in the Harvard Business Review points out that walking is one of the simplest and most strategic things you can do for yourself. It takes little preparation, minimal effort, no special equipment, and it can contract or expand to fit the exact amount of time you have available.

Riegel’s bottom line: Walk when you can, where you can. Your body, mind, and soul will thank you for it. 

And I would agree with that.

She suggests that people walk for 1) perspective 2) connection 3) learning 4) gratitude 5) productivity.

I don’t have space to share her reasoning, but I think readers might enjoy thinking through those benefits for themselves.

Just one hint: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a single bout of moderate to vigorous activity (including walking) can improve our sleep, thinking, and learning, while reducing symptoms of anxiety. And walking outdoors can compound the dividends.

I’ve also benefited from another type of walking—daily  exploration of the Scriptures, especially the psalms, with their deep spiritual enrichment.

Take, for example, the rhythms of Psalm 119 in Peterson’s Message rendering:

I’ll stride freely through wide open spaces

  as I look for your truth and your wisdom;

Then I’ll tell the world what I find,

  speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed.

I cherish your commandments—oh, how I love them!—

  relishing every fragment of your counsel.

Often I find myself singing a hymn as I walk, for which the refrain comes from a well-loved South African freedom song, Si ya hamba, reshaped by two good friends of mine, composers Desiree Goyette and Ed Bogas, and loosely translated from the Zulu, We Are Walking in the Light of God. 

Most important, the refrain adds: “We are praying in the light of God,” and, “We are singing in the light of God.”

And for that, my soul is doubly grateful!