When a person develops the ability to walk, it's something like a right of passage. Once you start, you become someone else. Let's take a baby for example; more specifically, my brother Sekou. There was a point when I was used to carrying him everywhere. Then he started crawling, then just standing in the middle of the floor. After a while, he started taking steps and began to walk on his own. He went from being a baby to ... a walking baby.
That's the process that the average person goes through. It's a sign of independence. A sign of physical competence. Well, that qualifies for any ways of getting anywhere on your own, to be honest. My point is: taking steps is metaphorically synonymous for beginning your life. It's a great feeling. This also works for learning to ride a bike, a pogo stick, and definitely a horse.
Now that we understand why walking is awesome from the start, now we can get on to the next part. Now that I'm walking, where do I go? What do I do while I walk? Why don't I just sit down and have a soft beverage or something? Any other question that gives you a reason to second guess yourself.
Everyone has their purpose for walking, but here are some great reasons that walks can be beneficial:
* Reaching your destination. Of course this is obvious, but walking is great for getting from A to B. No matter what the distance is, if you have just the right level of optimism, you can make it. However, if you're in doubt, think about how Forest Gump walked across the country and influenced others along the way.
* Mental 7th inning stretch. I hope that made sense to you, but what I was trying to convey is that a nice walk by yourself can give you time to think. If you're anything like me, then you may end up talking to yourself and having a debate in you mind (I assumed that everybody did that, but I don't know everybody, so...). You may also visibly speak to yourself to the point where your mouth is moving. It doesn't matter. So long as you can have the time to organize your thoughts.
* Natural socializing. This is a great time to get to know someone. You can really understand a person by going on a walk with them. If you're more of the quiet type, you can just pay attention to the way they walk or whether or not they care if the light is red. If you're up for a conversation, this is one of the best times to talk (in my opinion). It's especially great if you have a long ways to go to get to your destination because before you know it, you'll be there. ;-)
* Emotional massage. Suppose you're angry, sad, depressed, controversial, or any emotion that gives off a negative vibration. Going for a stroll is probably your best bet. Like how I mentioned that it is a great time to think things through, no matter what emotion it is, walking can help. It is even a fact that walking relieves depression (like asparagus).
* Exercise, obviously. It's no secret that walking is a for. Of exercise. You may want to run, jog, hop, skip (I do appreciate skipping myself), or anything you see others doing differently, but at the end of the day, walking can be your best bet. It's easy, it instills patience, and it has plenty of other benefits (i.e. the ones I've already mentioned) that any other exercise can't provide you with.
I personally love walking. Growing up, my family didn't always have the luxury of a car, so we did plenty of walking and public transportation. I need thought it was a bad thing, or embarrassing. In fact, I was too busy looking at the things around me and having awesome conversations with my mother to even care about cars.
I'm especially grateful to have the ability to walk as much as I do. Some people aren't as privileged. Like in that movie Wall-E (SPOILER ALERT), when the earth was too polluted to live on and everyone had to live in space. People started getting obese and had to ride around in these hover carts. I got three reactions out of that movie: (1) tears, (2) a spontaneous need to recycle, and (3) the need to stay active.
Walking - along with senses and thoughts - is a gift. A gift worth using for the greater good. Walk to enjoy the scenery. Walk to that place that you've always wondered about. Walk a marathon to help others. Walk in place with one of those cool treadmills that have a map on it where you can walk wherever you want in the world (those things look so cool). Express your love for the physical capabilities of your systems that contribute to your legs and feet. And don't forget to have fun with it. ^_^
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