“May the sun bring you new energy by day, / May the moon softly restore you by night, / May the rain wash away your worries / And the breeze blow new strength into your being, / And all of the days of your life may you walk / Gently through the world, and know its beauty.” A blessing from the great Apache Native American nation.
When we see people on the move, some walk fast as they rush to meet an appointment or deadline. Toronto’s downtown streets at rush hour are a good example. Others stroll leisurely along, taking their time to enjoy the world around them. You see those people as they walk past your home in the early evening. One of the best ways to walk is with a dog. Your furry best friend will slow you down and give you the chance to breathe in the fresh air.
“I dream of you walking at night along the streams of the country of my birth, warm blooms and the nightsongs of birds opening around you as you walk.” An excerpt from The Country Of Marriage by Wendell Berry.
Years back, I used to go for late-night walks after I got home from doing my radio show. I would carry a bottle of water and have my walkman plugged into my ears so that I could listen to the radio. I had a route that was familiar. It was the only way to keep up an exercise regimen during the high heat of summer. I shared the quiet streets with all manner of night creatures: cats on the prowl, the occasional raccoon and skunk. A few times I saw the fox that lives in the ravine close to my community. It was after seeing the fox cross the sidewalk in front of me on its way back into the ravine that I chose to walk on the cement median in the middle of the street. This way I figured I would have a better chance of not stumbling into a creature of the night on its search for food. I remember that it was a warm night. I had my radio turned up as I crossed to the centre of the street and began the walk uphill. I was so engrossed in what I was listening to that I didn’t hear the car pull up slowly beside me. I didn’t even notice the headlights illuminating the roadway. I just about jumped out of my skin when I was hit by the beam of the flashlight. I turned and heard the officer say, “Out on your walk, are you?” It was a police officer cruising this sleepy neighborhood. He asked me where I lived and we shared a few pleasant words. Even though his presence startled me, I was happy to know that he was doing his job keeping my community safe late at night.
There are parts of the city where it might not be advisable to walk by yourself even in the light of day. You have to be careful of the route you select. Always carry a fully-charged cellphone, just in case. I learned that the hard way some years back. When my children were very young, I had a two-seat stroller. I liked to take them along on my late-morning walks. It was particularly warm on that morning in late May. I felt energized and walked a little farther than I should have. It must have been a mild form of heat-stroke, because I stumbled and fell. I was wearing a hat, but the problem was I had gone beyond my limit. At that point I realized that I should have had a phone with me so that I could get my wife to come with the car to pick us up. I made it back safely with the family, but I’ve always been sure to take the cellphone with me in the event of an emergency.
Gertrude Thompson Miller wrote: “I walked among the tender grasses / Sparkling in the dew, / I heard the whispering of the trees, / The morning call of birds, the murmur of the bees, / I watched the buds so quietly unfold to kiss the sun; / I felt the calm and gentle breeze when day is done, / And then I know / That God would walk and talk within my garden, too.”
I enjoyed my walks with my young family. They were so curious about the world at that age. My son counted the trucks, and my daughter spoke to every dog we passed.
This is a prayer from the great Native American Sioux nation. “Grandfather Great Spirit. / All over the world the faces of living ones are alike. / With tenderness they have come up out of the ground. / Look upon your children that they may face the winds, / And walk the good road to the Day of Quiet. / Grandfather, Great Spirit, fill us with the light. / Give us the strength to understand, and the eyes to see. / Teach us to walk the soft earth as relatives to all that live.”
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Don Jackson
