Walking Really Isn’t Lame
Just two dudes taking a selfie mid-walk
I can walk. I always have been able to. Well I had a few false starts as a toddler and have had some short non-walking spells due to poor choices and epic failures. I have decades walking experience. I have genuinely walked from town-to-town, but I had always walked out of necessity or peer pressure.
Then one day I met Mike Ditka the dog. He was at a multiple sclerosis awareness walk. He was in rough shape. He was big for his weight. His bones showed through this mummy-tight skin. Scars covered his belly, and he had strange growths on his hips likely due to malnutrition. A sign next to him said something along the lines of, “Hi, I am Mike Ditka. I have beagle and boxer ancestry. Also, I am the most lovable dog ever.” As I was reading this, over the PA speakers I hear Prince Rogers Nelson talk-sing, “I never meant to cause you any sorry. I never meant to cause you any pain.” I knew at that point that the most lovable dog was going home with me that day. What I didn’t know was the most lovable dog was also the most nervous dog.
Mike had the most tightly wrapped ball of nervous energy that I had seen in a dog. It rivaled mine as a human. His first day living with us consisted a lot of hiding and sleeping. I recognized this technique for coping with new or strange situations, for I had used it before too. Our second day as roommates started with a walk, It changed everything. We were still strangers to each other, so we were so mindful and aware of everything on that walk. Our shared nervousness actually made us present in the moment. It was the most rejuvenating walk ever. It was relaxing. It was energizing. It allowed us to process a lot. We were consciously or unconsciously figuring things out. We took another walk later that day.
As stress would build or career situations seemed to have no clear resolution, the walks became longer. The walks always helped. If the walks did not to a working solution, they brought perspective. As spring 2020 approached and the world was on the edge of a pandemic, the walks helped us hold it all together. Looking back now, I will never forget our pandemic walks of 2020. Without a doubt, some of my best thinking occurred during these treks.
The American Heart Association, the Mayo Clinic, and so many other organizations tout the benefits of walking. In December 2023 Harvard Health Publishing relayed former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Thomas Frieden proclaiming walking as “the closest thing we have to a wonder drug.” From improving heart health and helping to lowering blood pressure to boosting immunity and strengthening bones, walking is credited with many benefits. The real treasure of walking for us proved to be lowering stress, improving mood, and increasing mental alertness.
Walking became a real tool to use for efficiency and innovation. No longer confined to a twice a day activity with Mike, walking became the secret fix when a new solution was needed or to calm growing frustrations. In lieu of a lunch meeting, if it seemed appropriate I would propose a walk instead. Based on what needed to be addressed, meetings were sometimes moved from a seated situation at a table to walk through an adjacent area. I can easily reflect on resolutions that came from both seated and walking meetings, but I do look upon the walking meetings more fondly.
There are other benefits to walking. It can be financially beneficial as well. As of writing this I have found $28.77 and a rather impressive collection of bolts and other fasteners. I can’t recall any great finds from sitting.