Walking for exercise became walking for exploration
Back in early March, when I bought myself a Fitbit Flex Wristband, I had no idea I would be unleashing my inner naturalist.
A Fitbit is one of those little thing-a-ma-jiggies (see picture and Amazon link at the bottom of this post) you either clip or strap to your body to measure how many steps you’re taking every day (mine is on a wrist strap). My goal is 10,000 steps a day—about five miles. That’s almost an hour and a half of walking in addition to the normal walking I do in a day’s time, so I’ve gotten in the habit of starting early before it gets too hot and walking the roads in my rural neighborhood.
At first it seemed like a chore and a hardship, but after a few days, something amazing happened…
I began to pay attention
Same route, same scenery, right?
Wrong!
As I started focusing on my surroundings, I realized with delight there was something new to see and enjoy every single day.
That spider’s web wasn’t there yesterday, but today it glistens with morning dew and reflected sunlight.
That honeysuckle was mostly green with tight blossoms two days ago, but today it’s in full bloom and its fragrance wafts heavy in the moist, warm air. The scent takes me back to my childhood on a Virginia farm, and instantly, in my mind’s eye, I’m lying on the grass, gently pulling out the stamen of a honeysuckle blossom to extract the drop of sweet nectar from the bottom.
One morning, I might flush up a white-tailed deer family from their morning foraging. Another day, the birds will take center stage as they sing and squawk and swoop near me, making sure I stay away from their nests. Almost every day, I enjoy watching rabbits in the yard and squirrels scurrying up and down the tree trunks, often carrying a piece of fruit or nut in their mouths.
The sounds of summer
Now it’s July, and I’m into my second season of walking. In the spring, the predominant sounds were wind and birds. Now I hear the noise of a nearby construction site: hammers banging and voices of workmen calling to each other. In another direction, the sound of a farmer’s tractor tells me I’m not the only one trying to get my outdoor work done before it gets too hot. It sounds like he’s baling hay.
When there’s been a heavy rain, I can hear the swollen north fork of the Shenandoah River long before it comes into view. When it’s been dry, I have to get right down to the low water bridge before I can hear the lovely rippling sound as it tumbles over rocks and logs. When I’m lucky, I’ll catch the Great Blue Heron fishing from a craggy branch in the middle of the river.
We’ve had some Cooper’s Hawks in our yard for a month or so, and their squeals and screams are quite distinctive. They love the tall pine trees for a perch, but last week, I saw one chase a rabbit under a big lilac bush. It hopped around in frustration, unwilling to go into the bush where it couldn’t flap its large wings.
What’s in bloom?
The roadside along the route of my walk changes from week to week, and I’ve loved getting more intimately familiar with the blooming cycles of my favorite wildflowers and trees. April and May were a riot of color from the likes of dogwood, redbud, flowering fruit trees, columbine, grape hyacinths and Virginia bluebells. June ushered in the prolific dandelions, soft purple clover, prickly thistle, and common mullein with its spiky shaft of yellow blossoms. July has presented me with lovely blue chicory, Queen Anne’s Lace, sweet pea, thistles, and daylilies. By watching every day, I’ve enjoyed noticing their growth and unfurling into full glory.
How’s the weather?
My husband and I have long been serious weather watchers. We have an excellent rain gauge and record precipitation every day (See “Become a Professional Rain Tracker“).
Walking, however, has given me a whole new appreciation for weather and how quickly it changes. More than once, I’ve been caught in a shower. Often I have walked with an umbrella. Some mornings it’s so foggy, I can’t even see the mountain right behind our house. Other days, the air is so crisp and clear, you feel you can see forever.
And the clouds…I’ll never tire of their ever-changing shapes and textures. Once again, I’m remembering the games we played outside as children, lying on our backs and imagining what we were seeing in the shapes of the clouds.
Wherever you are—take a walk!
I’d love to take you along with me on these walks, but don’t wait for an invitation. Wherever you live, the wonders of your natural surroundings are waiting for you to slow down long enough to discover and appreciate them. Oh, and by the way, since March I’ve lost 15 pounds, I’m sleeping better, and I get lots of great thinking done while I’m walking.
There’s no doubt about it: walking is good for your body and good for your soul.
Where’s your favorite place to walk?
Click the images below for more information or to order on Amazon.com. I am an Amazon affiliate, so when you use my links, you pay no more than you would otherwise, but I get a small commission that helps defray the cost of this site.
Pin this:
7 Spiritual Growth Lessons Learned From My Grapevines
I have always loved walking. Long walks with my dad were a special holiday treat. Exploring the back roads was my first taste of freedom away from adult supervision. These days I enjoy all those lovely joys you so eloquently mentioned.
Walks are also my time to connect with my husband. Somehow we seem to talk more and go deeper when we are in motion, sharing the pleasure of being outdoors. And now that my daughter has come home to heal and put her life back together, those walks have added depth.
Thank you for such a beautiful article and lovely reminder of the simple pleasure and miracle of a walk.
Thank you, Aprille, and I’m so glad you brought up yet another beautiful variation on walking — walking with a friend or partner. You’re absolutely right—there’s an intimacy to that time together, whether it’s time in conversation or companionable silence. I wonder if it has something to do with not looking at each other and perhaps feeling a little less vulnerable. I wonder…
I’ve always felt it’s exactly that – not looking at each other but being engaged in a common repetitive activity. Gets us in synch without the ‘challenge’ of direct eye contact.
What beautifully written piece, Elizabeth. Your exquisite photos add the perfect touch. I walk daily and being in the Low Country of Savannah see different flowers, shrubs, birds and other wildlife which includes alligators. My most memorable walk was on the nature trail not far from my house. One hot and humid day in August I encountered two coral snakes. Note to self: don’t walk the nature trail in warm weather when the snakes are out sunning themselves after breakfast.
Thank you so much, Lydia, and especially for sharing the details of your own walk — having spent some time over the years at Pawley’s Island, South Carolina, I recognize the scenery you are probably enjoying. We saw many alligators over the years, but happily I never encountered any coral snakes. The time we have to beware of snakes in Virginia is in the spring when they are getting more active but are still a bit too sluggish to get out of the way.
I have a fitbit which I wore religiously for a year. It was amazing and it motivated me to move more. I am glad you are enjoying yours as well!
Thanks so much for sharing that experience! I’m all for anything that gets us outside and gets us moving!
My life has been so enhanced over the years with walking. I’m so glad you have discovered and now appreciate the benefits. Sure, it’s good for our body, but the even more important results is what it does for our soul. Like you, I watch all the changes that I view from day to day, season to season, in my walks. I end up taking videos of the sounds of the birds (and laughing at my own excitement – in today’s blog I share a phone video of the quirky turkey that always comes around). I have many favorite walks – the best is the one on the path in Marin County on the S.F. Bay. When I lived there, I walked the path with my dog every day at 6:30 a.m. for an hour. Even the memory of those walks sooths my soul. xo
Oh my gosh, Pamela, you’ve made me realize another important benefit of walking — the memories! When I’m old and gray and unable to walk so much, no one can take those wonderful memories away.
I was recently reminded by my friend Joan Stewart (The Publicity Hound) of a “best practices” habit for walking: stay unplugged! I don’t listen to music or audiobooks (though I confess to the occasional podcast), and of course it frees me up to be much more observant. Walking also creates time when your subconscious can work and your creative juices can flow, unimpeded by the information overload with which we’re afflicted.
Exactly! When I see people running or walking with their headphones on, I want to shout out them STOP. Look! Listen!!
Way to go, Elizabeth! I’m proud of you! And in this blog you have beautifully captured the joy of walking in nature, as well as how walking can turn from a chore to a pleasure. I’ll take issue with your reply to one comment, that a pedometer would do just as well as a fitbit. That’s not been my experience. Maybe new-style pedometers use GPS and are more accurate, but all the ones I’ve ever had in the past frustrated me no end, because they relied on measured steps. But the length of my steps is not uniform, depending on whether I’m walking briskly through flat streets in my neighborhood or hiking up a mountain or any number of other variables. So they were never accurate for me. The fitbit is, both in number of steps and in the measurement of distance (I’ve checked it against measured miles). It’s really helped both motivate me and keep me honest. And like you, if I don’t have those 10,000 steps by evening, I’ll start pacing, even if it’s back in forth in front of a baseball game on TV.
Thanks, Beth, and I should have given you credit in my blog for being the one who inspired me to get a Fitbit because of your own wildly successful results. I’m so glad you weighed in on your opinion about the Fitbit versus the pedometer. I haven’t used one in years, so I should have asked around before speaking. Glad to know you feel the Fitbit is accurate — I certainly have found it to be. My only frustration (since I wear the bracelet instead of clipping it on my clothes) has been its lack of accuracy when I’m on the treadmill and not moving my arms the same way. But I solved that by attaching it to my shoe laces and it works like a charm.
I heard you mention the young Cooper’s Hawks the other evening and meant to comment then. You talked about them screeching and hollering. I wonder if all larger male birds go through that. We’ve had baby chicks that grew up to be roosters and omigosh, the racket they make before they finally figure out how to crow like roosters. We also had a pheasant in our yard one winter and early spring and every morning I’d hear him out there making his version of the morning crowing. It was quite a different sound from that of a rooster, but I suspect it served the same purpose. I wonder if the hawks are learning how to “crow” or whatever it is that hawks do. Keep us posted.
Will do, Esther — I know these are Cooper’s Hawks because I’ve seen them many times, but they sound more like the Red-Tailed Hawk. I do think they’re juveniles, and it will be interesting to see if their sound changes as they get older.
I have thought a few times about getting a FitBit. But then I tell myself, “You don’t need that, just walk more.” But a device helps inspire you, and I’m thinking now…. “You need to walk more today.” “You need to park further away from the store entrance.” “You should take the stairs.” I love queen anne’s lace – nature’s doilies. Honeysuckle reminds me of my childhood home…it was rampant all over the school grounds. And we used to suck on the blossoms. Swollen rivers give me the heebie geebies (you know why). Forsythia reminds me of my Mom (thank you). I was recently at Lake Metigoshe and one day I set my alarm so I would be sure to be up, with coffee, to sit and experience the sunrise on the lake. I wrote in my notebook as I watched…took some pictures so I could remember everything. But mostly, I just sat and watched and listened. This is going to be an upcoming blog post.
I can’t wait to read that blog post, Karen!
You know, there’s nothing magic about the Fitbit — a simple pedometer would probably accomplish the same thing (but see Beth Boland’s note below about this). It does have some bells and whistles a pedometer doesn’t have, but they’re certainly not necessary. I do find that keeping track motivates me — if I haven’t gotten my 10,000 steps in by 9pm, I’m outside walking up and down the driveway.