Yeah, I know I sound like a little old lady who enjoys strolling the neighborhood sidewalks in her Easy Spirit tennis shoes. But, try to remove that image from your mind. No, I don't have a dog to walk (at least not yet...one day) nor do I consider taking a walk through the neighborhood to be a source of vigorous exercise. Simply put, I just like to walk. Always have. I like to be outdoors and to look at the houses that line the streets. I like to listen to music and to think about random things that pop into my head.
I'm sure one of the reasons I enjoy a nice neighborhood stroll stems from my childhood. In the spring and summertime as a family we would often make an activity out of an evening walk around the nearby golf course or walking up and down the surrounding streets. Sounds sort of cheesy, but it was always fun. Sometimes funny stories about our neighbors would come up. Other times there would be a house under construction that we would become fascinated watching being built. My Dad would insist we walk through (only if there was no locked door of course!) and survey the architecture and layout. From time to time we would go back and check the progress and throw in our opinions about how things were looking. As if anyone asked for our two cents about the location of the kitchen or the size of the windows.
These days, I usually take these neighborhood walks alone (although I'm happy to have friends or family join me whenever). Yes, Mom, I always take my phone and I never walk when it's dark out. There are different things that I enjoy about walking. I like the quiet when things are calm and I also like the noise of people busily living their lives that you sometimes hear. Kids playing, games happening at the nearby park, people barbecuing and mowing their grass. It helps that I love my neighborhood and the feeling of homeyness that comes from walking around. When the occasion calls for it, I also like to think through things weighing on my mind while walking. Sometimes I get a little more clarity while strolling the streets than I do at other times during the day.
Maybe, though what I like most about taking walks is the actual walking part. I love to move my legs. I usually walk with some sense of urgency whether there be a need for such speed or not. I'm almost incapable of walking slowly. I can't help myself. Once I start, I just go. This I most definitely learned from my Dad who is always at least ten steps ahead of anyone else walking with him (well except for me). There's truly something to say about just moving about. Not on a treadmill or at the mall, but on the hard pavement of the sidewalk or road. Walking outside with the birds, the wind, the bugs and the sun gives me a good feeling and a little extra bounce in my step.
I like walking in my neighborhood.
