solvitur ambulando
it is solved by walking
My daughters tell me that I’m “townie-famous.”
You know the people – the ones whose name you don’t know but have a defining characteristic that makes them stand out in a small town. The guy who drives the beat-up white truck with the Trump flags. The woman who wears a winter coat in the summer. The guy who hoses his lawn while his irrigation system is running.
Mine? “You know, the woman who walks really fast, and is out there no matter what.” That’s me.
Most days, I’m out there before it gets light out. I go regardless of the weather. My walks are non-negotiable, maybe more so than brushing my teeth.
When my husband left, walking became my lifeline. I wasn’t sleeping. I wasn’t eating. I didn’t know my name. Anxiety and panic took over my mind and body. The only time I felt relief, and the possibility that I might feel better someday, was when I was walking.
In Latin, solvitur ambulando means: it is solved by walking.
Maybe the magic is being in nature. Maybe it’s the chemicals our bodies release. Maybe putting one foot in front of the other tricks us into believing we’re moving forward, especially when we feel like we’re stuck. I’m not sure what is it, maybe a combination of them all, but walking provides clarity when we’re wrestling with tough things.
On my walks, I’ve sorted through emotions, decoded emails, belted out 90s tunes, brainstormed writing pitches, and chatted with my daughters, parents, and besties.
I don’t always want to walk. Most of the year, it’s cold and dark when I leave the house. Add a whipping wind off the water and it’s tempting to stay inside. But I don’t. I head out and take space with the deer, turkeys, coyotes, birds, and rabbits.
I never regret going on a walk – even on the days I really don’t want to – they’re the days I need one most. For me, walking isn’t about exercise, it’s about relief.
When I walk and walk and walk, I heal and heal and heal. More than once, including during Emily’s treatment, walking reminded me to breathe and shifted my perspective. I covered a gazillion miles during the divorce days.
If you’re wrestling with something big or small, walk. You can go fast or slow. You can go for an hour or 10 minutes. You don’t need anything fancy to do it.
Whatever problem is taking up head space – solvitur ambulando — it will be solved by walking.
I promise.
Tell me in the comments your favorite place to walk!
I’m with you! Every day rain or shine. I do the outline of my neighborhood in Harwich. Same route all the time. And yes, that Cape Cod wind is brutal sometimes!
I did the same when I left my husband. I’ve always been a walker but in those first few months I walked further and faster than I ever have in my life. As though I could out walk the grief, walk away from the pain. Or perhaps, as you say, I was trying desperately to walk towards something new. I like that final observation. Walking reminds us that if we keep moving we keep living. It’s in our bones, in our genes. It’s our body’s way of making sense and our mind’s way of preparing us for what’s coming down the road…