By William (Tim) Reid, reprinted with permission from an email. I thought this was particularly eloquent and insightful, and should have its own page on the Internet.
To my granddaughters:
I have long believed in the proposition that ‘the further you walk, the longer you live’. I think it works, ask anyone in a wheel chair.
It’s such a simple thing that we take it for granted. It’s also a deceptive activity, it confers hidden benefits. The health benefits are often underestimated, breathing, posture and stamina are all connected to walking as is balance.
What’s less obvious is the way it develops will power, learning to keep going whether uphill, carrying a load or when exhausted literally creates determination. It’s also a survival function and can be a decider between life and death, freedom or captivity, poverty or well being.
It is the means to take us to places of great natural beauty and a way of appreciating nature that cannot be got going by car. Getting to places that are silent except perhaps for the sound of wind or water restores the soul.
It’s a mind enabler. Many a person with a problem to solve thinks about it while walking. Thought and action combine, body and mind interact (psychosomatic) enabling calm, reason to flourish and fresh insight to emerge.
It’s a mood changer, one piece of advice, to change your mood, go for a walk or put on some music.
Well worth the time and effort to lose yourself. Don’t get lost, learn to navigate!
Love from your Grandpa
