I have now been walking regularly for the last 20 years.
People walk for various reasons and some walk without any reason ( like Tom Hanks in movie “Forest Gump” walked and ran from coast to coast without any particular reason). Since I joined Army at the tender age of 16 ( pre commissioning training at NDA, Khadagwasla, India) I have been walking and running as part of Military routine till about 50 years of age. When I got to a senior position the walking got reduced considerably. However I compensated it by playing golf.
A health issue in early 2003, when I was 52 years of age forced me to walk again on regular basis and that routine has been continuous since then. I developed Angina Pectoris ( Heart Pain ) and might have got into further problems but then I tried to cure myself by diet control and physical exercise like yoga and brisk walking. I had to take some medicine to begin with but gradually I became better and withdrew from heart medicines. Since then I have been regularly walking every day. I retired from service in 2009 but I continued my habit of walking. My routine starts with a morning walk of about 5 Kms and through out the day I am on my feet and walk on the slightest pretext. I go for local shopping entirely by walking. My wife has a forgetful nature and she keeps remembering grocery items which are required to be bought during various times of the day. I do not get irritated by such frequent indenting of items, in fact I thank her to give me an opportunity to walk. I take many trips to the local grocery shop By the time I retire for the night, I would have walked 15 Kms a day. In 2015 my son gifted me with a Fitbit watch which keeps account of your physical parameters like walk, pulse, calories etc. In 2018 my daughter gifted me with a more refined watch called Apple Watch which does many other calculations of your physical parameters. By a rough estimate, since Jan 2003, I would have walked around 95000 Kms till now. I try not to skip my walk, come Sun or rain. During rainy season I walk with an umbrella. Except for some emergency situations and extreme weather, I have not skipped my walk.
During my morning walk, I am usually accompanied by my wife, who indulges in small talks to which I am a very patience listener. Other times I walk alone and generally communicate with myself. I introspect and chalk out future plans during such walks. I am also on the look out for some interesting photo compositions and keep my smartphone ready for such occasions. Such impromptu photographs later become part of my blog/ FB posts.
In whatever locality I have stayed in the last 20 years, people know me by my walk. At times they strike conversation and offer salutations too. When I visit my son and daughter abroad ( USA ) I walk there too.
When I go to play golf, I play alone and do a brisk walk between the shots. Here also I get good picture compositions and take snaps. Morning walk gives me one day insurance of health and sound sleep during the night.
Sometimes the walking circuit and route becomes boring and monotonous and at that point I change the route or direction to bring in some novelty. Sometimes I discover new walking routes and the whole exercise becomes very fascinating.
My desire and wish is to keep on walking as long as I can. In fact I wish to walk away from this Planet someday. A static life or being tied to the chair/bed is a horrible thought even to think.
I pray to the Lord to grant all of us a potential/ stamina to walk. Let their be flow and sunshine in every person’s life.
Wish to end the blog with a excerpt from a famous Bollywood Song.
“ जीवन चलने का नाम, चलते रहो सुबह और शाम “
“ Life implies, A continuous Walk, be it Morning or Evening.”
Guchi.
Improve Your Life 