When I was a kid, my parents always took us on Sunday walks in the woods.
I loved them as a kid, less as a teenager and when I became an adult the whole purpose of walking or hiking was lost on me.
In my thirties I started hiking. Even did some serious mountain hiking.
When I had babies, taking them for a walk was my own walk to sanity as they’d instantly fall asleep. Later as kids they loved to roam the woods and explore and equally started hating our hikes when they turned teenagers. 😂
Now I usually walk alone.
I live in the beautiful countryside of the Mullerthal and even when I take the same walk, there is always something different to see.
Walking is grounding.
It slows my heart down.
It calms my nerves.
It shows me beauty.
It gives me answers.
It is full of metaphors to life.
It brings me down to the essentials.
It is full of inspiration.
It opens up all my senses.
It is a great exercise.
It teaches me to breathe.
One foot in front of the other.
One step followed by the next.
As simple as that.
And yet so immensely humbling.
I haven’t walked as much as I’d like lately.
Today I went down the road from my house to the woods and cliffs and moss and Dutch tourists.
I came across this woman and her dog and before she saw me she gave a loud woo-hoo shout into the woods. Then she said sorry when she saw me. I told her it was ok to shout out in these woods. She said it was just so gorgeous and needed that to be made audible. Shout all you need, I said and we walked on. 😎🤩
Woo-hoo!