Walking is my theme these days as I train for my “little jaunt” this fall. So today I want to talk about walking On, In, and To.
Walking On
Dr Loeffler, my geography professor, always said that you don’t really know a place until you’ve walked the land. I knew he was right but it seemed crazy to me at the time. Since I heard him say that back in about 1973 I’ve learned first hand how right he was.
In case you have missed this in my various talks, I’m a walker. I love to walk! I walked to and from school — five miles up hill both ways in two feet of snow; NOT. 😉 I have backpacked, climbed mountains, skied hut to hut, walked beaches, and hiked various paths. Walking all over many cities — San Francisco, Montreal, Denver, Philadelphia, NYC, and Boston to name a few — has familiarized me with the cities in special ways.
I’ve walked up the bell tower steps at Notre Dame, climbed to castle parapets and the highest points above town in several European towns, along the Great Wall — twice — and the 350-ish steps to the front door of the Potala Palace! Then I’ve hiked the Perimeter Trail around Ouray, on back roads from Ridgway to Ouray, and bushwhacked from my house to Colona. I have loved every step of the way of every adventure.
Next up — walking the 800-ish kilometer (about 500 miles) pilgrimage from St Jean Pied de Port in the French Pyrenees to the city of Santiago, Spain, in the northwest corner of the country. I’m liking the idea of these walking vacations so much I’m aiming to hike the Inca Trail and the Scottish Highlands in years to come. There must be some enticing trails through Greece, South Africa, and Russia calling me as well.
Walking In
You may wonder what I’m doing all that walking in. You’ll be amazed at some of the footwear I’ve used through the years. The typical tennis shoes and hiking boots, of course, and Merrills too. Loafers, Crocs, Famolares, Danskos, and flip flops. There have been a few miles put in wearing a variety of heels even. More recently I’ve honed my transportation mode to mostly barefoot-style walking. Barefoot? Yep, barefoot.
Before I show you my barefoot mode I want to show off my beloved hiking boots (see video for view of these lovely leathers) from 45 years ago. I’d hoped to use them for my Camino walk but they are failing so will stay home.
I discovered barefoot walking with the Xero Shoes do-it-yourself sandals. Then I added the Venture, Z-Trek, and Z-Trail sandals. Most recently I discovered the Prio running/fitness shoe. I love the reactions people have to my shoe collection, especially the do-it-yourself sandals! And I love the variety of terrain I’ve covered in the different shoes. Variety is the spice of my life.
They are so comfortable they are replacing the Oboz I bought for the Camino (my winter walking). I put them on after three days in my dress pant shoes, which are comfortable, and the sigh of relief my feet gave was almost audible. I only got them a few weeks ago and have already put quite a few miles on them and don’t regret one step. I’m hoping the hiking shoe is available before I leave for Spain so I can have a second pair (it’s always good to wear different shoes so your feet and shoes get a break) for my pilgrimage. Don’t worry, I’ll be taking my Z-Trails for easy walking days and showers.
Walking To
Today is Day 40 of my daily LIFE Streams. I’ve had lots of fun and grown in confidence through these live streams. I’ve struggled through poor preparation, distractions, a yowly cat, and bad internet connections. I’ve shared some pearls, helpful Frameworks, and silliness. You may feel you’ve been drinking from a fire hose, or maybe it feels like a trickle! What’s next? Change.
For several reasons this is the last Daily Stream: bad internet and poor use of our time are the top reasons. I’m not leaving you, though. The Daily Stream is converting to a Weekly-ish Stream. It’s my intention to Live Stream five to ten times throughout the summer. Those Streams will be to share lessons from my life and what pearls you can extract from them to help you in your life.
The week of June 5th is when I expect to start the Weekly-ish Streams.
I help entrepreneurs, innkeepers, and people with ADD to experience more focus and energy so they can get more from LIFE. You can do that with grace and ease, rather than struggling to reach your goals and dreams.
If any of that sounds like something you could use, let’s talk.
See you in a couple of weeks!