When I go on walks, I daydream.
Listening to audiobooks while walking may be tempting, but I already have such a gossamer connection to reality, I'm worried that loosing myself in an audio book means I'll become completely oblivious to the real life around me, including traffic, bikers, holes in the ground, etc.
In the meantime, as I am walking, thoughts drift in and out of my head. I notice flowers, invasive species of plants, poison ivy popping up along the path.
- I see you, you nasty multifloral rose, invasive and indestructible
- Awww, goslings.
- Bush honeysuckle - invasive!
- Loose rocks on the trail - careful on those, don't want to turn my anke.
Random musings and concepts that flitter in and out:
- Kids do not clean their rooms, fold laundry, or help out much.
- Math and English curriculum and the sad state of the current school system
- Perfect school: what would it look like, what would be the dialy structure, what kind of academics it would have, lunch ideas (note to self: ask the kids for ideas about perfect schools)
Other things that keep my brain occupied while I'm walking:
- Imaginary conversations with people I haven't seen in ages, or with fictional characters
- Discussions of books (as a stream-of-conciousness-monologue)
- Remember? Thnking back to embarassing moment that I am still ashamed of
- Remember? Thinking back to fun times I wish I could do again
- Meaning of life, parenting woes, goals (usually together with bullet 1 from this list)
I noticed that if I'm thinking about something that makes me angry, I tend to walk faster. If I'm thinking about books or philosophical matters, I slow down.
What does your brain do when you go on solo walks?
When I walked before work, I would never wear headphones while walking. I always used the time to stomp out whatever's irritating me, plan my day, or just count the sidewalk frogs. I liked to see what's going on with the neighbors' landscaping, and enjoy the quiet pre-dawn atmosphere. I guess walking during the day, when there's traffic and people, would make headphones more appealing. Now that I'm retired, I mostly just walk the dogs, which also doesn't work well with headphones.
ReplyDeleteYes to stomping out irritation during walks! Morning walks have been saving my sanity and helping put things into perspective (I've had to deal with some very challenging clients at work, so having a calm attitude before getting on a call with them helped a lot).
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