The Art Of Walking

“I have met with but one or two persons in the course of my life who have understood the art of walking.” - Henry David Thoreau

“Above all, do not lose your desire to walk: every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness; I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it” - Danish philosopher S?ren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)



I haven’t been running much. Reason is I’ve been walking a LOT. Something like two hours a day to get from Point A to Point B or from town to home. Funny enough, when I first started walking instead of taking public transport, I used to be really embarrassed to tell anyone ‘cos part of the reason why I was doing so was really to save on transport costs (which to most people is a necessary evil, and something rather silly to scrimp on). Yet, once I started walking, I realised that there was really no place too far to walk to, as long as I had time. And the more I walked, the more energized and serene I felt. The solitude of a long walk, and the adrenalin of the exercise it provided started to prove irresistible. Even the heat and humidity was not apparent to me, only when it made me yearn for a well-deserved cold drink from a 7-eleven store along the way. Suddenly, I didn’t like public transport anymore. I really loved to walk.

When I go on my long walks, I feel like Forrest Gump running across the country for no particular reason, yet achieving all sorts of unexpected results. I look forward to all my walks with a deep anticipation of what crazy ideas and new thoughts would come into my head along the way. I always have my little black notebook and Pilot V5 pen to scribble it down. None of my walks have ever disappointed me. I’ve walked to sort out my problems. And I’ve walked to think through my dreams and goals. I’ve walked to conceive new business strategies. And I’ve walked to understand perplexing people, situations and concepts. The longer the walk, the clearer my head. And I see a lot more possibilities in life, in work, in my relationships.

Just me, my thoughts and my feet. It still surprises me how simple everything is.