ONCE UPON A TIME I walked—as in ‘hiked’—often. It began during my elementary school years when I trekked home after the final bell every clear-weather day. I usually stopped by my grandfather’s/uncle’s Gulf station, a few hundred yards from the school doors, for a Red Rock.
The trip home seemed farther than it actually was (about a mile and a half) from Mimosa Blvd. to Thomas Drive and crossed highway 19/120. But it was effortless as I had the gift of ‘kid energy’.
There were no fancy crosswalks with flashing lights and no police to stop traffic, even though traffic could get quite heavy. No tracking devices or cell phones. I don’t advise the practice of letting a child find his way home today. It was different in Roswell, GA then. Although I’m sure they were out there, no one gave any thought toward predators and general bad actors. Life was simpler. At least that was this child’s assessment of the world.
I developed a love for walking and expanded the practice as I got older. Now science has proven that walking is healthy and that it has psychological benefits in addition to physiological.
I say walking can do wonders for the soul. I’m not alone, nor am I original in this thinking. Even the Romans (of course) had a phrase for it: ‘Solvitur ambulando’, loosely translated, “It is solved by walking” actually carries a richer meaning. It can imply, “Get busy solving the problem, walking (with me).”
The 19th-century philosopher Soren Kierkegaard who enjoyed daily walks wrote, “Above all, do not lose your desire to walk: Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness; I have walked myself into my best thoughts and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.”
If it takes a physical walk, so be it! The science is there. But even if one isn’t ambulatory, the powerful mind and soul given to us as humans is able to walk toward solutions and away from the negative thoughts that hold us down; it’s time we get busy. And remember, we were never meant to walk alone.
When we’re angry, worried, or troubled by our thoughts, we’re focused on what’s going wrong. It’s paralyzing. Why not take a mental journey to a good place? Reconnect thought power and move forward. Literally. If the weight of the world leaves you frustrated, angry, anxious, tired, bored, or annoyed don’t seek advice online or even from friends. Walk WITH the One who will improve your stride toward inspiration, worth, hope, victory, solutions. Get busy. Walk. Solvitur ambulando!
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