Walking

 My grandmother started walking five miles a day

when she was sixty.  She's ninety-three today

and we don't know where the hell she is.

Ellen DeGeneres

This quote by Ellen DeGeneres reminds me of my self.  I walk three to four miles per day and often times wonder where I would be if I just kept walking.  It is not about running away or not wanting to return home.  It is in regard to the connection I feel in nature.

As a child, trees were my most favorite things.  Leaning against an old tree was where I would sit ... thinking ... breathing ... suspended from every day life.  Looking through the swaying branches, I would watch lofty white clouds floating in the sky.  My collection of rocks were held in my small dirty hands or safely tucked away in my frequently torn pockets.  When I tired of sitting, I would wander aimlessly just breathing in everything around me.

Walking allows my brain to be distracted from fast thinking or problem solving.  The physical motion of my body magically releases stress I have accumulated throughout the day.  Fragrances from neighborhood flower gardens relax my body, mind, and spirit.  I find my self opening to a level of clarity not usually available to me.

Walking is the only activity that alters all of my senses at one time in this specific way.  It is no wonder I experience withdrawal during the winter months when I can no longer leisurely loiter in reverie.

I can only hope that I will be healthy enough to continue my walks if I reach the age of ninety-three.  And as forgetful as I already am, who knows where my future walking will take me!