Henry David Thoreau once said: “As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.”
One of the best reinvestments in myself I have made this year is doing walks again, the benefits of which are so important.
About 12 years ago, when I left formal employment in search of a career change that would have better resonance and match my purpose, I moved back home with my folks to recalibrate. Where I had lived before was close enough to walk to work, and every day, without really paying it any mind, I would get in at least 2km.
This daily physical activity stopped when I resigned and I became more sedentary, but my parents soon encouraged me to join them on their daily morning walks. It would eventually prove to be a lifeline for my physical health and sanity, plus we enjoyed the quality time together, getting to know each other again with me a much more mature adult to the one I was when I had left home.
Eventually, I went on walks whether they were around or not, and even gained the confidence to start jogging. I kept this up and soon found it to be the one thing that carried me through the difficult three years ahead while I was figuring out my new path.
What started off as a means to quality time also became a reminder that exercise is critical to our sustained wellbeing. It can often be a means of survival, as I found while grappling with what would be my next chapter. Many an enlightening and revelatory thought occurred on those walks and jogs that led me to where I am now.
I was reminded of the memory this week when I came across a social media post that said: “When in doubt, walk. Walk to exercise, walk to relax, walk to think and also to clear your mind. Walk to breathe and enjoy nature. When you’re angry, take a walk. Walk to appreciate the life you have. Walk to discover life.”
My experience of walking is not only a personal one – it has scientific grounding. Walking has been proven to improve cardiovascular and bone health, as well as chronic conditions such as heart disease and high blood pressure. It enables better weight management and enhances one’s mood and cognitive function.
And so it has been good to quiet the world and remind myself again to give my body its fuel and my mind its conditioning. As the year draws to a close, it has been important to reflect and remind myself of the things I have emerged from on the other side of this hectic year.
Key to one’s survival arsenal of the oftentimes challenging South African landscape, I have learnt, is to just slow down and put one foot in front of the other. DM
Zukiswa Pikoli is Daily Maverick’s managing editor for Maverick Citizen and news.
This story first appeared in our weekly DM168 newspaper, available countrywide for R35.
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