On walking

I walk anywhere between 50–70km a month. For years, I had my routine: headphones in, podcasts or slow songs on, sometimes a coffee in hand.

But since spring, I cut all that out. No headphones. No internet. No coffee. Just walking.

At first it felt weird, but then the world got louder in the best way.

Birds chirping
Dry leaves rustling
Strangers talking
Barbershop trimmers buzzing as you pass
A fire truck wailing with the full siren
Kids laughing on their bikes
A father telling his boy, “you’re lucky to be growing up in this neighbourhood, you’ll know what crazy looks like”
Construction, always ongoing

It reminded me: walking doesn’t need to be productive. It doesn’t need to be optimized. Sometimes walking is just… walking. A way to slow down, to breathe, to simply be.