When I lived in Central Wellington I walked to and from work. The journey took thirty five minutes each way and was usually a high point in my day.
With concern in their voices, colleagues would ask “isn’t that a very long way?” Well, no, I’d explain. At peak times it doesn’t take any longer than doing the trip by bus. You see interesting things, sometimes meet interesting people and, mostly, you enjoy fresh air. What’s more, your mind is free to go off on a walk of its own. It’s all good, and really the distance is nothing. Sadly, few of my colleagues believed me.
Background
I wrote this after returning from an hour long walk around the outer Wellington suburb where I now live. This is something I try to do a couple of times a week – I’m concerned that working from home will turn me into a slug, even if I do play soccer and go running.
If you want to discover the joys of walking, agree with yourself to do it three times a week for at least thirty minutes. Warning: if you do this for more than two weeks it’ll have you. So be careful – you may even start writing essays like this one.
Leigh is repaying karma from a previous life by working out this one in IT. She’s a project manager, developer, writer, musician … and a recovering soccer player.