Walking vibes

It is a beautiful sunny day. The sun is shining, birds are chirping, the weather spells out the word “perfect” and here you are, going for a walk. Some of us tend to smoke or drink to ease our minds while some of us folks take a different approach in the form of going out for a walk. Walking may sound simple but the activity has so many benefits that are not mentioned enough. Whenever I go out for a walk, it’s always near the straight path at the hillside I live by. Walking on a steep path versus on a flat path are two different things. You don’t want gravity pulling you one way when it’s already keeping you on earth, it is tiring which is why I prefer walking on a flat, straight path. When I’m walking, I have my headphones on and listen to music and the experience itself just feels relaxing. I went walking around a hill without my headphones and it felt like an endless mission and it was plain out stressful. However, I walked at the same place this time having my headphones on and the experience was different. Instead of focusing on the area, my mind went elsewhere and I just walked. I walked around that same area for an expanded amount of time and discovered many other paths and something about it that made it feel satisfying. Walking alone is what most people go for but I’m a big fan of walking with friends because, for me, a long walk coupled with a conversation is a match made in heaven. While walking you talk about Gerald getting a new car that looks ugly or Liverpool losing to Southampton and the list goes on. I went for a walk with a friend to the downtown area of Montreal. The surrounding itself was beautiful, it resembled Times Square given the number of screens around the place except without its major crowds or street performers. Do keep in mind this is an era where masks and distancing are the norms but even that doesn’t stop me from having a long, enjoyable walk. Not everyone favors long walks as it can be tiring given its lengthy nature but doing something without purpose will always feel lengthy. We go out for a walk mainly to clear our minds or open a door for new ideas to flow in(The idea of writing this came from a walk I had last week). I suggest walking around a sightseeing area as not only will you have something to look at, but the significance of the sights takes your mind away from how long you’ve been walking. I consider myself a lucky buck for always getting a place coupled with reasonable walking sites and every walk I take gives me a new person feel like a huge weight is off my shoulders. One of the best walks I ever had was in the city of Montreal the downtown side called Saint Catherine. The path itself is flat so no worries in steep settings, it is a good area packed with screens and art sculptures, and most of all, it feels as if you’re walking in an outdoor museum. Walking during the daytime in that area is exceptional but my best experience came during the evenings. The place was lit up with lights resembling the likes of Times Square. Calm music is played and there are so many eye-catching artistic sculptures worth stopping and admiring. I walked around Saint Catherine with a friend and it was a joy. Not only was the path filled with sights but we also had a fruitful conversation about Among Us and whether Manchester United would win the league in this unpredictable season. It was a cold night as well and I wore the lightest jacket instead of a thick one for reasons being I underestimated the weather. We walked the entire downtown area and had a great time, we had endless conversations and admired the good amount of sights around us and it felt calm and relaxing. It was 10 PM and we decided to walk back home the walk back was even relaxing as we had more sights ahead of us and part of me did wish the walk never ended as it felt great. I don’t count the distance I’ve walked but I’m pretty confident I’m up there with the ranks of those who do it for fitness purposes. Would I walk again? Absolutely !, It’s one of the many activities I enjoy and I consider it very crucial as it allows me to think of new ideas or just give me a chance to shake things off and feel better again. To those who don’t see the bright side of walking, I recommend having a good fifteen-minute walk around the neighborhood. It doesn’t sound a lot but if done daily, you’ll start to see some health benefits such as immunity boosts, aging delays, and my favorite of all, mood improvement. Whenever you’re feeling down or got nothing to do, put on your shoes and go out for a walk and you’ll come back feeling better and enriched with new ideas.