Purposeful Walking....

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 9:44 pm

Hey!
I walked today with Richard... We don't have a tv connection where we live and, for some bizzarre reason, he has fallen in love with the show
"Fear Factor"!
This must be some kind of "Boy" thing he's going through! LOL...
So, he got on his razor scooter, and I dragged along behind, on a walk to my Mothers house... Let's see, it's not too far at all... Just about nine blocks or so...
Normally we would have no real reason to go there, but today, our walk really served a purpose...
My Mom is on vacation in Argentina till Saturday... When we arrived, I heard the sound of water running when we got in the door....
I figured, maybe the toilet was just flushing somewhere in the house, but it was way too loud for that...
Well, her boiler totally busted sometime last night and the boiler became an overnight "waterfall"....
After about ten minutes of freaking out looking for the main, I found it and shut everything off...
Since she's away, if we hadn't strolled by (which by the way felt great!)
the whole foundation in the basement would be destroyed by the time she came back from her trip....

I say, that was one very purposeful and well timed walk!!!

I hope to make more excursions around the area like this, as it was really nice to take in the scenery at walking speed...
Totally like rediscovering an area I've lived in since 1973...
It reminds me of when I was a little kid and had to walk home from school... But I am not quite in as good shape! LOL.... No, the treadmills just don't cut it folks... This is much better and much more challenging physically... Though it's so pleasant, you don't mind that!
I guess as long as it's not totally pouring or snowing, I like walking!

Have a nice evening people!
Love,

Deb

navin · Post by **navin** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 11:39 pm

Deb-

Who would have thought that Urban Ranger could also double as homeowner's insurance?

I definitely agree that purposeful walking is good. I do this a lot at work. Examples: my company has several buildings, occasionally I need to go to a different one from my own. The weak will drive, but I almost always walk. If I need to go run some errands during lunch, as long as they're within about a mile or so I'll walk 'em. And you're right, you notice little things that you wouldn't ordinarily notice when whizzing by in a car.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 11:48 pm

Navin you are a cutie!
Thanks!
Really, it was quite an interesting "coincidence"... (or was it!???)

I hope the next time I go on a walk, it's not to save a flooding basement!
My feet got all wet!

Love that signature!!!
Ha ha ha!!!

Deb

Azathoth · Post by **Azathoth** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 2:33 pm

I wanted to make a comment that I've noticed about purposeful walking, though I realize the fact that Deb was able to save a house from an otherwise overwhelming disaster is a happy coincidence and not what I would expect from EVERY walk (congrats on the good deed, btw), but...

I have found that no matter where I am going (or thinking about going), now that I have made a conscious decision to walk instead of drive for the majority of my trips (errands or even just to meet people, or whatever) I have noticed something that I suppose I haven't realized since I was a kid: If I walk instead of drive I find that when I do arrive at my destination I feel far more satisfied than I would have been if I had driven. I think the reason for this is that I must plan ahead of time which trips are actually important and worth taking, and which trips would have been trips that if I wasn't bored and didn't have access to a car I wouldn't have bothered to take. When we're kids and we have no means of transportation other than our legs and (maybe) our bicycles we made whatever journeys we took with the knowledge that it might take us some time to get there, so we made our trips to hang out with friends or whatever else we were doing worthwhile.

I like the idea of purposeful walking and I'm glad that I have been doing more of it. It allows me to avoid needless trips and budget my time more effectively. If I'm going out to buy something for myself, it really makes me appreciate what I'm getting so much more if I've taken the time and energy to walk and pick it up, rather than just swing by in the car. If I want a new video game (much to my fiance's dissapointment I'm sure), or to rent a movie (if my Netflix hasn't arrived, heh), or whatever else I'm out shopping for, I think about whether I really need (or badly want) the item in question and whether it's really worth my time to walk and get it or if my time could be spent better walking somewhere else instead.

Anyway, I'm sure I've ranted on long enough on this topic... but I had been thinking about purposeful walking, and thought that I would make a few personal comments about it. Back to work, I suppose...

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 4:21 pm

Dear Azathoth..
Congrats on your decision to walk more! That's great!
I just had to chime in a bit though as I truly do not believe that our "random" decision to go for a walk was merely a "happy coincidence"...

But yes it was a happy outcome!
We pretty much *never* just say, let's go walk to Grandma's house...
We were guided there...

I actually don't think there are *any* coincidences in this life...
But hey, thanks for that post!
Keep up the great work!
Peace and Love,

Deb
ps.. I titled my thread purposeful walking as a little homage to Reinhard, and I realize that it shouldn't take a "house flood" or a "fire" or other calamity, to qualify walking as purposeful... That was just an extreme example! LOL...
Walking is it's own reward...