I worship at the church of sunsets and full moons. I’m not a religious person, but I find solace and spirit walking in nature – counting eagles and herons or admiring cherry blossoms and changing autumn leaves as the true ways to be one with the Earth.
I walk. I walk a lot. Every day, to be exact. My regular walk is along the Railway Greenway north to the dyke and then along the dyke for a while. From the dyke, I can usually spot at least one heron, stalking its next meal. The North Shore mountains backdrop the view of the airport’s south terminal, the Flying Beaver pub and the greyish-green Fraser River. After we spring forward each year, I try to time my walk for sunset. By the late summer, strolling along the north dyke, the shadowy white moon often rises just before the sun goes down, a flaming ball of orange in a yellow or pink sky. It’s breathtaking.
I’m always in a better mood after a walk, and it turns out that’s backed by science. The Mayo Clinic says walking not only improves your mood, but it also strengthens your cognition and memory and helps you sleep better. It increases your energy levels, strengthens your immune system and reduces stress. It strengthens your bones, muscles and heart, while helping to prevent or manage diseases like cancer or type 2 diabetes. Walking is like a super-powered vitamin for your well-being.
I don’t limit myself to the Railway Greenway. I’ve walked all over Richmond, and much of Vancouver too. I’ve worn out my runners on the entire north, west and south dykes and every path of Pacific Spirit Park. I’ve got my favourite strolls, which include the northwest corner of the dyke, near Terra Nova, where there’s an eagles’ nest perched atop a tree. Most days you can spot at least one of the pair of eagles that have made their home in the sky.
I know exactly what stage the trees are in, whether it’s the bare branches of winter, the tiny buds and then spectacular pink blossoms harkening spring’s arrival, the stable greens of summer, or the fiery oranges, yellows and reds blazing into fall.
Walking can be a risky sport in Raincouver, but I’ve got the best waterproof gear money can buy. I’ve been soaked to the bone many times, but I’ve also become a bit of an expert at reading the weather and I can usually time my walks to a break in the rain.
Steveston Village is another favourite walking spot. I love searching for a special gift, poking in and out of the stores and collecting treasures along the way. There are bakeries and speciality shops with delicious treats, Serendipity’s Backyard for gems and candles, A Monkey Tree for gifts and cards, and my personal favourite, The Prickly Pear, for plants and gardening gear. There are so many others, it’s a treat to walk the streets, checking it all out. I often round out those walks with a visit to Garry Point or the Britannia Shipyards.
I like walking because it’s a good way to think. Essayist Rebecca Solnit, who wrote an entire book called Wanderlust about her love of walking, said, “Thinking is generally thought of as doing nothing in a production-oriented society, and doing nothing is hard to do. It's best done by disguising it as doing something, and the something closest to doing nothing is walking.”
Sometimes I break my own rule about using walking time for thinking, by timing a phone call during a walk. I love walking and talking, and if I don’t have a friend along for the walk, a phone call can be just as good. If it’s a business call, even better, because I can be productive while not sitting at my desk.
If you need to have a difficult or awkward conversation with someone, do it on a walk together. You will both be in a good mood and more open to listening if your bodies are also engaged. Some of my closest friendships have been forged while walking.
Walking is so much a part of humanity, we’ve shaped our language around the metaphor of walking. Walk in someone else’s shoes, take the path less travelled, know when to walk away, every journey starts with a single step… those cliches are all ingrained in our consciousness. To walk is to live.
Tracy Sherlock is a freelance journalist who writes about education and social issues. Read her blog or email her [email protected].
