JUNE 9
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.
—SOREN KIERKEGAARDI suppose it doesn’t have to be walking, though walking is
usually available and certainly one of the best ways to exer-
cise. It is an empowering physical action that takes you
somewhere—you’re acting out the movement away from
sadness and depression.
Sometimes it is hard for us to muster the energy to get up
and go, but if we wait until we “feel like it,” we may never
get off the chair—or bed!
But it is hard to overestimate the value of walking. People
whose emotional equilibrium is fragile are urged to walk.
Part of the regimen for recovery from heart surgery is
walking. A writer friend, when she gets to a rough place in
her manuscript, will take what she refers to as her “thinking
walk,” and invariably comes back with new ideas.
So if we are having a hard time getting “unstuck” from
spinning our wheels in regret or despair—try walking.
Nobody home—I’ve gone for a walk!