by Carolyn Affleck
Sometimes when I Walk, I catch myself grinning, and then wonder if people think I’m a little nutty. But witnessing a smile on a stranger’s face has many a time brightened my disposition. So I keep on Walking, and keep on smiling.
I’ve been walking all my life; most of us have. It’s built-in locomotion. But capital “w” Walking is more than just getting from here to there. And to me, it’s a recent discovery. It so perfectly fills out my life, that at times, I guard this newfound avocation like a secret treasure. It’s ridiculous, really. It’s not like I’m the first one to experience the surge in energy Walking can bring, the peace of mind, the sense of connection and renewed creativity; nor am I the first one to express this love affair artistically. I think of Thoreau and Nietzsche, two writers to whom walking was an integral part the creative life. They shared their worlds, and I am enriched.
I started Walking in 2003, during a year of grief and anxiety. I found that walking soothed my grief, calmed my anxiety, and cleared room in my head for fresh insights and ideas. It reawakened a sense of adventure. I began to experience my world anew: to see, smell, touch, and hear with fresh awareness the beauty that is around us, all the time and everywhere. Whether I Walk in the city or country, amble down back alleys or hike high atop snowy mountains, I feel truly blessed to be alive in this world.
I think that travelling in vehicles puts us at a distance from things and people. Cars give us power- literally, and in the psychological sense, that we are not entitled to. It is only a priviledge, not a right, to get from a to b as fast as possible, in a hurtling metal machine that could take a life in seconds, given the wrong set of circumstances. And global warming –that’s nobody’s fault but ours. But I have a car, and I use it. And, although I try to plan in advance, and get all my errands done in one day, I sometimes find myself driving several days a week. As I zoom down 12th Avenue, I am all too aware that residents along this street suffer the constant noise of traffic for most of the day. I am disturbing their peace.
So I walk for peace. To me, Peace Walking is about intention: it’s not about a cause, and it doesn’t require carrying a placard. It is about connecting. As my body propels itself through the landscape, how do I interact with what’s around me? And when I meet people, what sort of effect do I have on them, and they on me? I try to live my life making as little negative impact on my world, and as much positive effect as possible. Every day I try to be mindful, and every day I have both successes and failures. I notice a pop-can in the gutter and pick it up; but later I rage inside about having to wait two minutes in the cold for that darn pedestrian crossing signal to change. What matters, though, is that I keep on trying, just as I keep on walking.