An essential part of my fitness routine is my early morning walks. On weekdays, I leave my home on the outskirts of my small provincial town, walk to downtown, and then return. It’s a brisk, almost hour-long loop before I sit down at my desk. On weekends, I take walks in the woods or to the beach, or if I have the time, head out for a mountain hike.
These walks make my daily zen moment. Sometimes I come back and, if I try, I can’t remember what I was thinking about the whole time. Other times, however, and often, I mentally organize my day, or solve coding problems (or, more likely, study solutions to try later, once I’m at the keyboard). Sometimes I plan or dream about my future mountain trips, or remember past adventures, or plan motorcycle trips. Sometimes I listen to podcasts or music: there are mornings when I want to be on my own; others when listening to a well-told story is just what I need. In any case, once I get back, I feel refreshed, oxygenated, relaxed, and ready for the day’s work.
I rarely, if ever, skip my morning walk. I usually go out whatever the weather, but today, for the first time in a long, long time, I didn’t feel like braving the rain and the Bora wind (a condition that I usually enjoy), so I’m here writing about it instead.