Walking to think
When an idea does not come, or when a decision weighs on me, I have taken to going out for a walk.
Often, what remained blocked while seated unravels along the way.
I am obviously not the first to notice this. Many people, before me, have thought while walking.
The body advancing, the mind relaxing
There is something, in the regular rhythm of footsteps, that soothes inner agitation.
One no longer seeks the solution with fierce determination.
One lets it come, while the landscape passes by.
Without purpose, or almost
This kind of walk is not a performance.
It is not about counting steps or beating a record.
It is rather about moving without urgency, letting attention float:
- watching what passes without clinging to it
- listening to one’s own thoughts without forcing them
- accepting sometimes to return without a clear answer
Nature helps, but is not obligatory
A path, a forest, a riverbank make the thing gentler, certainly.
But one can also walk in the city, along a familiar route.
The essential is not the setting, it is the movement and the time one grants oneself.
Conclusion
Walking does not solve everything.
But it often puts things back in their place, and us with them.
When I no longer know what to think, I start by taking a few steps.
Yannick Costechareyre