1. Can I take my dog?
Walks are to be done alone, and not with your dog. If you walk with your dog, you’ll find yourself taking your dog’s walk. “Oh, look at that handsome Rottweiler.” “Oh, look at that darling cocker spaniel. I’d like to say hello.” And so, you stop to say hello, and the momentum of your walk is broken. And so, you must go alone, a footfall at a time.
2. Can I listen to music?
Once again, the answer must be no. If you listen to music, you are taking the composer’s walk. The object of walking is to put yourself in touch with your own consciousness.
3. How long do I have to go?
A twenty-minute walk is usually sufficient to shift your consciousness to a higher realm. You can go longer if you please, but going too long is not a good idea. Think of walking as meditation. As with meditation, twenty minutes generally does the trick.
4. How many times a week?
Twice a week is usually sufficient. You want the walk to be a treat, not a chore.
5. I have a disability. Is there something I can do other than walk?
Yes. Depending on your disability, you can wheel, pedal, or swim. The regular, repetitive rhythm will work for you.
6. Do you get insights on your walks?
Insight is a frequent fruit of walking. However, it is important to not make insight a goal. Walks should be stress-free, and straining for insight can create stress and turn your walk into work.
7. Why do we walk?
We walk to stretch our bodies and our minds. Many spiritual paths emphasize walking. Aborigines go on walkabouts. Druids go on pilgrimages. Native Americans take vision quests. Buddhists do walking meditation. It is important to walk mindfully, a step at a time, “as if each footfall were kissing the earth.”
8. What’s the payoff for walking?
There are many payoffs for walking. Walking casts us into the present, the here and now. As we tune in to our environment, a heightened sense of spiritual connection often occurs. On a more pragmatic note, walking releases endorphins—nature’s booster rockets of well-being. But I am uncomfortable with the expression “payoff.” One more time, it makes walking into a goal-oriented activity. Walking is intended to reduce stress and anxiety, not cause it.
9. What do walks have to do with optimism?
Walks create optimism. They heighten our sense of possibility and adventure. Walking out into the world, we are no longer trapped and claustrophobic. Each footfall moves us closer to the creative energy of the universe. Tapping into this source gives us a feeling of power—and, yes, optimism.
10. What do walks have to do with creativity?
Walks have everything to do with creativity. Whether we are focused on the natural world or man-made wonders, creativity is everywhere present. A star-spangled night illuminated by lunar cycles, a majestic ocean liner lighting up the seas. A quick-witted gray lizard, a towering skyscraper—each causes us wonder. And with our sense of wonder comes our sense of possibility—and with our sense of possibility comes creativity.
11. Why walk? Why not jog?
One more time, I will say that walking is not intended to be a chore. Jogging focuses us on an outcome. We jog to be more fit.
12. I find my ideas expand. Am I getting in touch with my higher self, or a higher power?
I would venture to say you are getting in touch with both. The two sources intermingle. Walking makes us inspired, and whether that inspiration is personal or universal, the fact is, it is automatic.
13. What if my expanded sense of possibility is just my imagination?
If it is “just your imagination,” your imagination is far more powerful and benevolent than you had previously thought.
14. I live in the city. Can I walk there?
Yes. A city walk, like a country walk, focuses your attention on the interesting sights that surround you. A bookstore window or a maple tree—each triggers your thoughts. A floral display in the corner of a Korean grocery can be as enchanting as a weeping willow on a country lane. The point is to notice what surrounds you.
15. I live in the country. My walks are lonely. What shall I do?
It helps to focus your attention on beauty—the stray clover springing up at the roadside, the towering oak tree shading your path—from the small to the big, nature accompanies you. The wisp of dandelion welcomes you back home. Noting these things cuts a sense of being alone.
16. I find when I walk I have an appetite for adventure. Is this normal?
Walking wakes up our senses. We stretch our bodies and we stretch our minds. Most of us crave the expanded sense of self we encounter. This is the spirit of adventure. As we “taste” it, we crave more.
17. Can walking be considered an Artist Date?
While an Artist Date could involve walking, it’s best to think of walking as a separate activity, an end in itself.
18. I call my walks “sanity walks,” and I do feel they make me more sane. Is this common?
Walks promote clarity. They put us in touch with the longer view. Pressing problems come to be seen as passing situations. We will be taken care of, walks assure us. This heightened sense of optimism helps us to put problems into perspective—and, yes, to feel more sane.
19. I find I walk out with a problem, and walk in with a solution. Can I count on this?
While I hesitate to count on this, it seems to happen with surprising frequency. A footfall at a time, we are led forward. Events that seem to baffle us have a way of yielding to our stride-by-stride, ongoing energy.
20. I sense a higher power when I walk. Is this normal?
Yes. Whether we call it our higher self, the muse, or the universe, we find ourselves in touch with a greater benevolent something. Many of us come to call it God.