Get Outside
Last week, in the time before we knew, I suggested a few things you could do to recalibrate your peace.
One of my suggestions was to take a walk. Genius, I know.
My walks have changed a lot over my lifetime. Growing up in Houston, most of my walks were taken in a neighborhood. They were hot and not very exciting. I never in a million years could have dreamed of the places my two legs would take me over the next 50 or so years.
When training for my first marathon, I ran through apple orchards. A few years ago, I shared the path with pilgrims in Portugal. I walked with a friend alongside glacial pools in Canada. This summer, I joined a new friend for a short walk on the Cotswolds Way.
Each walk was unique- differentiated by weather, geography, and the accents of my fellow walkers. Most walks leveled my inner landscape helping me regain my peace.
I am very grateful to have two legs that allow me to walk pain-free and a husband who has traveled for a living for many years, accumulating airline miles. These are a luxury.
Rather than hoard my experiences in my mind, I wanted to share some of the places I’ve walked in the hopes that they bring you peace, and inspire you to either get outside or plan a walk of your own.
Camino de Santiago
Ireland
Sicily
England, The Cotswold Way
Cleveland, Ohio
London
England, The Costwolds
Lake Erie Cleveland, Ohio (with Sweet Maggie)
The Canadian Rockies
As we regain our bearings and chart new courses forward, I hope you are finding peace in small ways each day.
I’d love to hear where your two legs have taken you! Let me know by clicking on the speech bubble below.
What a gift to have walked so many places with new and old friends. I think walking helps to slow us down and notice which in these times will be good for our souls, minds, and bodies.
Some of my favourite walks were in the Rockies with you my friend.
Really beautiful, Katie - thank you so much for sharing these glimpses, in words and pictures, of walks that have tended to your body and soul. It’s true, along with pilgrimages and walking in unfamiliar places, even the most known to us locations and routes can become new when we open our eyes to notice – and so much new research is being documented now about the mind and body benefits of walking. Would love to read more about your pilgrimages, and, I’ve got to admit, Maggie has slightly skewed my bias on the examples you’ve shared! 💙🤗🤗🤗