Long ago I joined the gym, stayed for several years, then realized it was outdoor, not treadmill, walking that I preferred. So, I quit. Didn’t worry about the machines anymore. I mean, seriously, when I was somewhere around two years old, I’d walk. My mother told me so. She said I’d walk all over the place, up and down streets, without a word of complaint.
I’m older now, much older than two, and I still prefer to walk, generally as exercise, but, hey, take me somewhere where walking is involved, I’m game. I will walk, and walk, and walk. Well, until my feet are so sore I just wish I could sit, take a load off.
Like today, when I left the house, planning to walk through the hills behind our neighborhood, into the wild blue yonder, with the idea of pumping some heart, strengthening some muscles, I veered off my path, instead walking up the boulevard, up a steep incline, turning into the ticky-tacky row of houses, you know the ones that all look the same, and continued up, up, and away, and not in a beautiful balloon. I just walked and walked, up and up, until the street ended, right at a point where a locked bar stopped car traffic from entering, but not foot traffic, and I continued to walk, up, until I reached a herd of cows, grazing, resting, and enjoying their sunny California day.
My feet were feeling it, they. were. sore. But, I had no choice, or, well, I guess I did, I could have called Rudy to drive up and give me a lift, but no, I am a walker, and I simply turned around, walked back down, and continued my journey, returning to where I had come from.
Home.
Fresh, much needed, water-bottle in hand, I walked down the long hall, to my room, and plopped my fatigued self onto the bed, and breathed, deep, feeling the bulk of my phone inside my pocket, calculating the duration and the miles I embraced. 2:12:31 hours/minutes/seconds, 6.74 miles. Long time, long miles, and those miles sure wrenched my side and reddened my feet, but hey, I’m not complaining, I’m just saying, I walk. That’s what I do.
BonaFideAffairs 
Thank you for sharing.
I walk, and that’s what I do, too. I don’t drive, no license, no car. Walking is how I get around, and I usually don’t mind it. It is good to know others do the same.
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hi sunfire. walking allows me to enjoy the world up close. 🙂
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I walk too, in my neighborhood – I’ve watched the neighborhood change and grow in the 22 years I’ve lived here, and my dog is intimately acquainted with every tree and bush!
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LOL. That’s funny, Sharon…. i do not have a dog, only cats, so walking is solely ‘my time’ to think, ponder, and wonder about life….
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I loved this….I like to walk too but maybe I am less creative about where. I need to add a little creative into my walk!
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thanks, kelly…. i use the app MAP MY RUN – even though i walk – and the GPS shows the streets all around me, so sometimes i will go off course and explore unknown territory, just for fun….
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I too love to walk……I am currently a GirlTrekker, walking for my health. Long before I did the GirlTrek thing, I would just walk. Walk from my office to Union Station in DC, walk the dog – longer walk than most days, walk at my clients house who owns a mountain Virginia, walked all through Paris….just walking an walking and walking….kind of like Forest Gump, but with a mission. My mission is to see as much beauty in the world that surrounds us.
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Yes, Teresa, seeing the beauty of the world, closely… I love walking because you can really take in the details – especially the ‘little things in life’.
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Where I live, the track housing/subdivisions/all-look-the-same houses are everywhere! It sounds like your walk was lovely. 🙂
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I thoroughly enjoy the big open hiking area, about a mile from my neighborhood, where i roam across easy slopping hills…. very nice, and serene….. although, admittedly, i have been a bit hesitant, lately (because of news reports in surrounding areas) wondering – concerned, sort of – about the likelihood of a mountain lion showing itself – there are signs posted of such animals nearby…. yikes!
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