Just Walk…

The first time I walked 100 km the ground hurt. The stones hurt, the backpack was heavy. 

The path wound through small villages, farmers at work.  It went past children chasing each other home, mothers cycling by with heavy loads in baskets.  All along the side of the path were the faces, the smiles, the slices of life that made the route memorable. 

The act of simply  walking is the deliberate act of seeing.  It’s like being a photographer with your eyes.

We all walk if we can, probably every day.  A walk to get us somewhere. A walk to breathe some air. A walk to listen to where you live.  A walk to really see. 

Think of the dusty store window with the slippers for sale next to the spatulas,  or the dog walking by with the red boots that match the owner’s,  or the guy that is struggling on his bike in the snow.  A little snapshot of  the life of your town in the morning. 

What if you think of this as more than just viewing, what if it is a kind of “data collection” about how lives are lived where you are?  If you noticed just 3 details every day, imagine how your understanding of your community, your audience, might deepen. 

How much more can you think about that storekeeper, when you are actually looking at the stacks of fruit they put out this morning. How much more might you consider the exhaustion of someone coming off a shift, when you have seen them leave the factory. How much more can you empathize with the mom schlepping her stroller through the snowbanks. 

How much more can you show your audience you care about them, when you can show you have “seen” them in your walk.  

Observation, really “seeing”,  is the foundation of genuine connection.

Take a walk today, not just to get somewhere, but to see where you live.

What’s the most unexpected insight you’ve gained from a simple walk?