"IS WALKING BORING?"

There is this vast beautiful nature area just outside of Haarlem. I'm glad that there is so much nature around here still. It's just a bit hidden. That's all. The Netherlands is such a densely populated country, so sometimes you have to look a bit harder for the beautiful nature areas. But they are definitely there. And I’ve found one. I love to come here to walk and think about stuff.

I never understood the appeal of taking walks before. I just couldn't see the benefit that it would have on you. It only takes a lot of time. I didn't think it would be of any use. And most of all: I thought it was kind of boring and it lacked any adrenaline rush, that you might get from going to the gym or when you’re going for a run.

I tried running for a while though. It was nice, but running on concrete in the city eventually started to hurt my knees, so that stopped working for me after a while. Maybe I was doing it wrong, or maybe I have the wrong shoes? Any runners who can tell me what might've been the issue?

Anyway, now that the Coronavirus also threw a wrench in my plan of going to the gym, and running wasn't really an option, I had to find other reasons to stay in motion. Walking isn't necessarily a heavy exercise, but it's a natural way of moving the body. Our bodies are designed to walk great distances so it’s a natural way to help us to put things in motion: not only our bodies but also our minds.

So yes. Taking walks can be a little boring. But that’s also a little bit the point of them. So you can return to the natural flow of things.