You can walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, or you can actually walk with them instead.
To “go take a walk” used to mean something. On the surface, it could seem that walking without a necessary destination may seem pointless. But when you’re physically moving, the gears in your head tend to move as well. (I get most of my ideas to write about while moving in some way, not sitting still and just trying to think stuff up: The ideas just appear in my head as long as I’m moving somehow.) When walking alone, you will more likely be able to think more clearly and creatively. When walking with another person, you’re more likely to engage in clear and creative conversations. But in a culture where we do a lot of scurrying around, then we get home, and we are often so exhausted from the day’s stress that we just want to chill out on the couch, the tradition of taking a walk has become endangered. And therefore; less thinking, less talking.
Taking walks is a tradition I am making a point to bring back in my own life. Every day at work, my friend Chris and I take a fifteen minute walk around the buildings near us. He’s nearly Asperger’s when it comes to World History and Geography, so I learn a lot from him. And I’m able to bounce ideas off of him as I am in the midst of writing about them, like about capital punishment. If it weren’t for our daily tradition of walking together, he would just be another guy I work with. But instead, he is a friend to me, not simply a “work friend”- because there’s definitely a difference.
And if you’ve live in a townhouse development or newer apartment complex in a decent sized city, you’re aware of your Korean neighbor ladies who walk around the neighborhood every evening after dinner. They are always an inspiration to me. But of course it’s not just about necessary daily exercise; it’s about putting yourself in a position to where you can simply think (if you’re alone) or to strengthen relationships with people in your life.