The Purpose of Walking

Yesterday's walks were mad dashes to and fro. That I was striding through liquid gold, that the air around me was as soft and inviting as any all autumn — I was vaguely aware of that. But I was so preoccupied in reaching my goal — a lunchtime errand, an after-work errand — that I didn't slow down as I should.

Makes me think about how people used to walk. It was not for their health, it was not for their emotional enrichment. It was, simply, to get somewhere. And then to get back. There was a monotony and a sameness to it that must have worked against wisdom.

But still, walking has always had a purpose in our country. It has often meant freedom. "Being footloose has always exhilarated us," said Wallace Stegner. "It is associated in our minds with escape from history and oppression ... "

And later in this essay, Stegner quotes Gertrude Stein, who defines America in this way: "Conceive a space that is filled with moving."

Movement through space is our heritage and our birthright. On my walk yesterday I was not alone in my oblivious striding. All around me, people were doing the same thing.