If you havenβt read it, you might also enjoy Types of Walks pt. 1 :) I had a lot of fun putting this piece together because it forced me to sort through the thousands of photos Iβve taken on my walks.
The Long Way
This walk occurs because youβre going somewhere and decided to take the long way. Maybe you are making a short walk longer or walking instead of taking whatever other form of transportation youβd usually use. This walk is a great way to mix things up, which is good for the head β even just walking down a different street is great for brain health. It is also a perfect way to add more walks into a busy schedule. This walk can often be spontaneous, something you do because you realize you have some extra time or when the weather is particularly nice.
The Anxiety Burner
A walk you take when youβre anxious and unsure of what to do. You decide to take a walk because walks usually make you feel better. It may not feel right the whole time, you may find yourself rushing or unable to decide what direction to go or whether to stop anywhere along the way. You may head out wondering whether you should just ruminate indoors instead. Like with The Depression Walk, you may not walk as slow and mindfully as on other occasions but itβs important to remember that this walk is still worth it because itβs taken with self-love and the intention to help yourself feel better.
One of my favorite teachers Abraham Hicks, who I started listening to when I had a kind of spiritual awakening in 2018, says that sometimes the best thing you can identify in a hard moment is your desire to feel better. You donβt have to know *how* you will feel better but identifying the desire to feel better as the central goal unifying all your concerns is helpful. Even if you are worried about things much bigger than you, you are still striving to feel better, because if those things bigger than you were resolved you would feel better about them, right?
The Fuck-It
This is a walk you take when youβve had enough and itβs time to say fuck it, get a coffee or a water, and walk with a sense of defiance. During this kind of walk, you rebel against whatever has been plaguing you with the radical act of taking a walk to experience joy and a sense of freedom, despite whatever else is going on. This walk is a shift in a vibration, an act of letting go, a release. A coming back to center, to the now. Donβt be surprised if good things manifest after one of these.
The Detour
Similar to The Long Way but with the detour you go way out of the way. For instance, in the above photo, I decided to forgo a 25-minute drive and instead took a very long walk following a river that led to the same place as the road I wouldβve driven on. The Long Way wouldβve been just walking along the road, but The Detour was much longer because I went completely off-path and followed a hiking trail, stopping to dip my feet in the stream.
The Injury
This is a walk Iβve become very familiar with. It is a walk you take when you cannot go very far due to injury or illness but still want to be, or feel you could benefit from, moving around a little or simply getting out. It is usually to a nearby location, like a coffee shop or a park or a bench in the sun where you will sit before beginning the journey home. Though short this walk often occurs after long periods of physical inactivity indoors and can be extremely fulfilling.
The Pastry Run
This is an important and serious type of walk only done in pursuit of pastries (and sometimes coffee but the coffee is secondary to the pastries). Once the pastries are obtained haste may be lessened. Despite the haste, this walk can be done slowly and leisurely like The Leisurely Errand, or briskly like The Coffee Run, but the main goal of this walk is always always always pastries.
The Nature Appreciator
This walk is taken with an appreciation for the natural world in mind. Even if you are in a city you stop to appreciate every flower growing between the cement cracks and every tree. If taken frequently, this walk can help you become very familiar with all your local flora and fauna. For instance, Iβve developed a love for Ginkgo trees.
The Loverβs Errand
Despite the name this walk can be taken to get a little special something for anyone whether it be a lover, friend, family member, or neighbor. You may be picking up a treat, some flowers, or something mundane from the grocery store. Either way, you are taking a walk to get something for someone you love.
The Best Ever
For this walk, you have to have a dog, obtain a dog, or join someone else while they walk their dog.
How to get dog time if you donβt have and canβt get a dog:
Become a dog walker by using one of the sites like Rover or Wag
Reach out to nearby friends, family, or close acquaintances with dogs and let them know youβre available for dog walking or dog sitting (if you canβt bring a dog into your space you may be able to find someone who needs both a house-sitter and dog-sitter). if you arenβt super close to anyone with a dog think of any dogs you see frequently β maybe your favorite local business owner needs a walker for their dog that you always say stop and say hi to, or something like that. You never know!
Ask friends or family members with dogs if you could join them at the dog park or on their usual dog-walking route one day
Reroute your usual walk to pass dog parks. I donβt think you are legally allowed into a dog park if you donβt have a dog with you, but there is no rule against walking by very slowly.