Word of the Year: Disciplines 6: Daily Walks

 

 

A walk in my neighborhood, Sunset Heights, El Paso, Texas. "I can see Mexico from here." June 2017. Credit: Mzuriana.

Daily walks are no-brainers for many people, as is working out at a gym or regularly playing a sport. 

 

A walk in town. Opelousas, Louisiana. May 2015. Credit: Mzuriana.

Such activities were not part of my family culture.  

 

A walk in my neighborhood. Ferguson, Missouri. May 2018. Credit: Mzuriana.

Squarely in the suburban middle-class of the Midwest, oh, sure, we all had bikes as children. We had summer memberships at the local pool (with parental mandates to go there as soon as it opened in the morning, and don't come back til it closes, just before dinner). Some of us were enrolled in extracurricular teams sports, such as Little League. Or ballet. 

 

A walk in my neighborhood. Tucson, Arizona. May 2019. Credit: Mzuriana.

 

But my parents were not sporty. They got their exercise from cleaning the house (until we kids were old enough to take over) and doing yard work. As my parents aged, there were half-hearted attempts to instill a routine of walking, but these efforts were short-lived. 

 

A walk in my neighborhood on a snowy day. Rustavi, Caucasus Georgia. February 2021. Credit: Mzuriana.

 

All of which is a long way of getting to my point: I am neither natured nor nurtured to move my ass around. 

 

A walk in my neighborhood. Glen Iris Neighborhood, George Ward Park. Birmingham, Alabama. December 2020. Credit: Mzuriana.

A discipline of daily walking is relatively new for me. In fact, I'll even go so far as to say I didn't develop (and sustain) a daily (well, almost daily, well, most days) walk until last year in Birmingham. 

But now I have, so far. 

A walk in my neighborhood after the rain. Alamogordo, New Mexico. July 2013. Credit: Mzuriana.

 

Not only do I walk, I strive for brisk walks to maximize the musculoskeletal-stamina-mental-cognitive benefits. 

A butterfly on a tree, a walk in my neighborhood. Lafayette, Louisiana. April 2014. Credit: Mzuriana.

Being rootless, daily walking is an exercise I can do anywhere in the world. 

Daily walking:

• Is independent of a facility or a game partner or equipment or special clothing. 
• Is language-neutral. 
• Presents opportunities for social engagement. 
• In the eyes of permanent residents, as days march on, marks me as one of their herd, now.
  
• Concentrates my focus on nuances in my temporary neighborhood, on small things, instead of just the big stuff, like the skyline or the surrounding mountains or the local tourist sites.

As I age, I can continue to walk in some manner, even if this means I'm using a walker or a wheelchair (manual versus powered). 

And it's free. 

A walk in my neighborhood, Oakleigh Historic District. Mobile, Alabama. May 2022. Credit: Mzuriana.