walking

i've never been much of a walker.

wait, strike that.

i grew up in new york city and pretty much walked and subway-ed everywhere i needed to go for the first eighteen years of my life. but walking in new york city, for those of you who've done it, is an entirely unique experience that is unlike walking anywhere else in the world. and one that seems so incredibly foreign from the kinds of walks that i now find myself taking almost daily that i clearly didn't even seem to think these city walks qualified me as a walker.

in any case, i've been walking. one of the things i loved so much about getting a dog three (three!) years ago was that it got us out walking. walking around the neighborhood, being outside more, meeting our neighbors, keeping up with what was happening in other people's yards, and around our house. it was great. and believe me when i tell you that this dog needs his walks. well, what he truly needs is runs, but seeing as we are not a family of runners, our weekend excursions to the large off-leash park will have to suffice.

still, it's easy to get lazy. especially in the winter. of course, as we all pretty much know, this hasn't been much of a winter at all, so i suppose that despite my true sadness about this missing season, the kind weather has contributed to my walking motivation. we are incredibly fortunate to live right across the street from a park. a really nice park. and while i really and truly love walking around the neighborhood and seeing all the lovely houses and gardens and what not that are so common around here, i've been loving walking through the park lately. or maybe a combination of the two.

since the beginning of january, i've been taking freddie on nice long walks almost every day when i get home from work. work has been quite exhausting and not that thrilling lately, so i often spend much of the day daydreaming (in between working, of course) of what i'd rather be doing, anxious to get on home so i can pursue all of those "i'd rathers". but, i've found that instead of delving straight into those things upon my arrival home, i'm taking myself and freddie on thirty minute or so walks around the park.

and it's been truly lovely.

it really does clear my head of the day and get me into evening mode. no computers, no phones, no music even. and no to-do list (either to anxiously fill up, or to nag at me). just me, the dog, fresh air, and my thoughts, which i try to keep at a minimum. that part's not so easy, but it helps to have no distractions in front of me so my thoughts are free to wander wherever they do. i may spend thirty minutes thinking of an idea for a project, or writing a blog post in my head, or having an imaginary conversation with someone (i'm not crazy, promise), or just observing the goings on of the park.

if you're in need of a little mind clearing, or mind wandering, i highly recommend a walk. the most basic of things. and the most wonderful.