I was out today tramping through mud, rain and leaf mulch.  It was the was the wettest day of the year for us so far.  You might ask why bother?  What is the point in getting soaked and marching through the mire just to end up (hopefully!) back where you start from?  There are, of course, a series of reasons.  It is good, healthy exercise.  We have committed to do it and if you only do so when you feel like it, then it quickly becomes a sporadic activity rather than a regular one.  There  the challenge of navigating the route and the physical demands of the walk too.  There’s unquestionably a sense of gratification in succeeding in doing all of this, as well as the pleasure of all that you see along the way.  And yet, it is odd to to spend all day working at something to end up back where you begun.

I’m a great believer in ‘The Journey’, the journey of Life, and find the metaphor of a walk very appealing and resonant with this bigger journey.  Perhaps when we are feeling stuck on our bigger journey, a walk is a way creating a sense of freedom, progress and movement, and can ‘unstick’ us.  It enables us to see things from many perspectives and angles.

Are there other activities that you find have a metaphorical value for you? 

I”f you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking.  Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.”  Raymond Inmon

“Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.”  Henry David Thoreau