I walked a total of 26 miles last week. Sometimes I wish I was a runner because my daily three to four mile jaunts would take less time to finish. But I am a walker, despite at least six different attempts to take up running and enjoy it enough to continue. I began walking for fitness, as a way to meet some of my health and weight loss goals, but each day I find something new to enjoy about the activity.

Whether walking in the rain after dinner or through the heat of the day during my lunch break, I look and see worlds around me. There are birds in the trees, singing their unique songs, a spider determinedly making its way down the sidewalk crack, the laughter of children in some distant backyard, each existing completely apart from me but now also part of me because I noticed them. Sometimes on my walks I’m overwhelmed by my own insignificance. Sometimes I’m inspired to believe I can make a difference.  At the end of every walk, though, I am less stressed, more at peace, and left with a sense of accomplishment, of moving toward something more.

Nature awes me, motivates me, teaches me, and thrills me. Walking for fitness allows me to spend time with Mother Earth, learning and growing as I open myself up to the possibilities and wonders of each small world I encounter. Although I wish sometimes I was a runner, I know I am more open to the beauty of the world when I am not gasping for breath and stumbling over my own feet. We each have our unique way to commune with nature and the world at large. The important thing is to get out there and connect with the worlds around us.