Daily Walk

I try and walk daily with the dog. I generally do it after I have been sitting working for a few hours. The dog watches the time and reminds me when the hour of the walk approaches. When the weather is bad I have to be ready to go if there is a break in the rain. If it snows I have no interest in walking, not sure why. Maybe the idea of survival kicks in and exercise seems less important. No snow yet this year, in fact it has been quite dry most days. Sometimes the clouds are heavy but occasionally it's sunny and then the whole effort feels more like a gift.

As I get older I see the benefit of regular exercise in my routine. It burns away the nasty edgy bits of my anxiety. I feel virtuous doing it, virtue is a great thing for a naturally self loathing person like me to experience now and then. I sit a lot and getting out and moving around a bit keeps my body feeling relaxed and strong.

Mostly I just prefer to be outdoors and walking is easier than working. I have taken the same walk most days for the past 14 years and I never get bored. The landscape changes daily, the direction of the wind, the smell of the air. The walk is a meditation practice wherein the dog and I—connected by nylon webbing—trot along breathing in and breathing out. I watch my mind as I go along, I am petty sure the dog is functioning on a whole other plain of smell alone. It's okay, the point is this walk does a lot for both of us on many levels.