I dare to be a walker.
Why dare to be, you may wonder. What’s so daring about walking?
I’ll rewind – I dare to be a long distance walker.
I have walked many long distance paths, the most notable being the famous Wainwright Coast to Coast – 192 miles in 14 days.
I am currently walking the equally famous West Highland Way. It’s 102 miles and I’m walking it in 8 days. It’s not as strenuous, but still a challenge. I walk these long distance, point to point walks with my husband. I also walk circular routes with friends and in a Ramblers group.
I dare to be a long distance walker because of psychological insights. When my body hurts, I breath, I dig deep and I discover things about myself. When I walk, even when I’m in company, I am alone. I am absorbed in the oneness of being me. I feel my body, I see the landscape, I hear the sounds around me, I smell the countryside, I taste the food that fuels me and the water that hydrates me, I reach out and touch the flora and fauna.
I dare to be a walker to clear my mind and to listen to my heart. What I feel, what emotion, what revelation, what ‘ah ha’ moment may come up. I may take a walk through my past, I may replay an encounter in my head, I may consider my future, I may even make a life changing decision. And the exilerating thing about this is I am always surprised. And the daring part? Just sometimes, something comes up that’s scary and challenges me. But this is wholly good.
And what about the writing?
When I walk these long distance paths, I often write scenes in my head, tackle a sticky chapter or muse over the structure of my book. My writing progresses and I grow.
I dare to be a walker.
Day 2 – Drymen to Rowardennan – 15 miles
LIHazleton.
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