Sometimes I'll take a walk on my lunch break during the Spring and Summer months to clear my head and get some fresh air. I'm fortunate enough to work in an area of a major Chicago Suburb that has some nice sidewalks shaded by old trees. There are also wetland reserves and ponds that I can see on my walks that provide a much needed connection with Nature and helps lift my work-day doldrums.
On these walks I'll notice some wild life. Mostly starlings, Canadian Geese and crows. I observe their behavior and ponder what their lives might be like. These walks are usually no more than three quarters of an hour long. Sometimes I'll take a quick walk around the block which sets me back only five minutes.
The longest weekly walk that I take during the temperate months has to be, oddly enough, when I mow my lawn. We live on a fairly good-sized lot that takes me an hour and half to mow with a semi-auto propelled, walk-behind push mower. It's a steady pace that is a surprisingly effective work out.
Sometimes I'll listen to mp3 audio books or podcasts during my "Lawn" walk but most often my mind ponders, thinks and ruminates. I don't understand why the thoughts I have when I walk behind my mower are different that when I am on my work-break lunch walk. But the difference is stark. On my lawn-mowing walks, my mind can become agitated and energized. I might resolve to change my career, move to another place or otherwise radically change my life. While, in contrast, my midday work week strolls foster thoughts like "Those fluffy clouds are pretty."
But by the time I finish mowing the lawn and putting away the equipment, I go inside my house to get a drink of water or ice tea. Then the ambitions and resolutions I made during my grass-cutting promenade dissipate. Someday I'll learn to connect those fiery meditations to reality. Then watch out.
See the more animated version of the illustration above.
On these walks I'll notice some wild life. Mostly starlings, Canadian Geese and crows. I observe their behavior and ponder what their lives might be like. These walks are usually no more than three quarters of an hour long. Sometimes I'll take a quick walk around the block which sets me back only five minutes.
The longest weekly walk that I take during the temperate months has to be, oddly enough, when I mow my lawn. We live on a fairly good-sized lot that takes me an hour and half to mow with a semi-auto propelled, walk-behind push mower. It's a steady pace that is a surprisingly effective work out.
Sometimes I'll listen to mp3 audio books or podcasts during my "Lawn" walk but most often my mind ponders, thinks and ruminates. I don't understand why the thoughts I have when I walk behind my mower are different that when I am on my work-break lunch walk. But the difference is stark. On my lawn-mowing walks, my mind can become agitated and energized. I might resolve to change my career, move to another place or otherwise radically change my life. While, in contrast, my midday work week strolls foster thoughts like "Those fluffy clouds are pretty."
But by the time I finish mowing the lawn and putting away the equipment, I go inside my house to get a drink of water or ice tea. Then the ambitions and resolutions I made during my grass-cutting promenade dissipate. Someday I'll learn to connect those fiery meditations to reality. Then watch out.
UPDATE: Here's a perfect music video about "My Lawn Mower" :
Research Supports Walking Helps Thinking
How Walking Fosters Creativity: Stanford Researchers Confirm What Philosophers and Writers Have Always Known https://t.co/cZe3nD6sa1 pic.twitter.com/77SlOBWs7f
— Open Culture (@openculture) September 7, 2020
Another confirmation of the benefits of Walking:
‘It’s a Superpower’: How Walking Makes Us Healthier, Happier and Brainier https://t.co/189GbFtA7t via @Pocket
— O. Douglas Jennings (@odouglasj) December 14, 2020
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