Take a Hike Day

“Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. 

Everyday, I walk myself into a state of well-being & walk away from every illness. 

I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it. 

But by sitting still, & the more one sits still, the closer one comes to feeling ill. 

Thus if one just keeps on walking, everything will be all right.” 

Søren Kierkegaard, Danish Philosopher

My Dad  kept this quote framed near his desk at work.  To a great extent they were words by which he lived.

He had a streak of daily walks that was well over 12,000.  Consecutive days.  One time, my folks took a train from Indiana to Portland, Oregon and he walked in the morning on the train counting his paces to get in the three miles he walked each day.

Dad was a firm believer in walking.  I remember, especially when I was little, struggling to keep up with his quick pace.  He'd slow down as I worked to catch up to his side.

When I was little, Dad, Mom, and me would take would take what we called perambulations after supper.  That was a way he built my vocabulary - anybody could take a stroll around the neighborhood - very few took a perambulation! 

There were a number of years our pace was the same.  I learned to walk quickly and with purpose.  He would walk easily at a 4.5 miles per hour pace.  He was never a runner that I knew of, but he could walk faster than many jogged.

As a person good in math, a poet, and a writer - I think those early morning walks cleared his mind and helped him gear up for his day at work.  

My early morning work-outs give me the same kind of feel and being on the back of my bike early in the day with miles stretched in front of me is a great way to clean out the cobwebs from my head and gain a fresh perspective.

So, since its "take a hike day" anyway - take some advice from Kierkegaard and get out there and walk - even if it's a walk around with your dog around the neighborhood.