My Love-Hate Affair with Walking

For as long as I can remember, walking has been a certain challenge for me. There is something about the way my body is constructed that causes me to swing my right leg out and around with every step. In doing so, my toe is likely to catch on any little unevenness in the pavement or sidewalk. If I’m not totally aware, this can mean disaster.

I first became acutely aware of my peculiar way of walking when I was 17 and a contestant in the Panama City Junior Miss Contest. As part of the “pageant”, we had to take turns walking down a runway, reminiscent of the Miss America Pageant. (Did I really do this???) Anyway, in practice the organizers kept telling me NOT to swing my hips as I walked. Believe me, that was the last thing in the world I wanted to do, but it was simply the way I walked.

Recently when we were in Israel, we literally walked all day long. I realized just how good walking makes me feel. Instead of sitting hunched over a desk all day long, I was constantly stretching out my legs and lengthening those tight hamstring muscles. My quads felt stronger too. I found that I could hold my legs out much straighter when doing pilates exercises.

Today I met a friend on the mall for a look at the work of Hiroshi Sugimoto at the Hirschhorn. It seemed like we walked for hours in the warm strong sun. The air was as crisp as a Granny Smith apple and the sky was that azure color that precedes the haze of summer. My legs felt strong and confident this afternoon. The irregularities in the sidewalk just didn’t phase me. Instead of being tired after all that walking, I came home full of energy.

These positive experiences with walking lately have made it clear to me that I simply have to include walking in my week’s activities. I will just have to stay focused on what’s underfoot in order to reap the physical and mental benefits that it provides.

If I could have one wish, though, it would be to feel what it is like to experience a balanced body and to be able to pay more attention to what’s all around me instead of focusing on the ground beneath my feet.