Most dogs, not all, but most that I see on my daily walks look like they have this happy sort of grin on their face and they’re going to come over and say hi. A few seem angry, and others seem so caught up in the pure joy of being outside that I often never get more than a glance. I thing dogs, and dog walkers are an almost universally friendly lot.
People are different. Most men I meet avoid eye contact, and I wonder if this is some kind of alpha male conditioning thing going on. I am guilty of this myself. If you make eye contact with them you either got to say something friendly, or pick a fight (well maybe not but you catch my drift). It’s easier to ignore them, right?
Some people, and my wife is one of them, walks fast. Others, and I am one of these, tend to be much slower in their daily jaunts. I will amuse myself by counting various things I see on my walk, how many birds I see and what type, how many times I turn or change directions, and generally try and immerse myself in the experience. A walk is never just a walk
When I walk I have courses I have laid out and never vary from them. Currently I have a 1.5 mi, 2 mi, and a 3 mi course. Now that I am retired and walking everyday I anticipate adding a 4 mi course at some point.
Walking is exercise, but it’s more than that, or it can be.
Ridgewalker's Notebook 