by Public Service Associate Juliana
I wish I loved exercise as much as I love reading. Maybe even half as much as I love reading. I have no problem showing up for the current chapter I’m on. But lately I can’t get myself to exercise. For a while, I showed up for yoga, but now my mat gathers dust. When I started watching Scandinavian murder mysteries while on the stationary bike, I thought I’d solved my exercise problem once and for all. That felt like something I would and could do a couple times a week.
But here I am again, no mystery interesting enough to keep my feet on the pedals, inconsistent with everything I try. That is, everything except for walking.
I can get myself to walk because going on walks is something I do for my dog. For some reason, I get too up in my head when it comes to taking the time to do any kind of exercise for myself, but for him – it helps that he’s bossy about it and stands at the door with a demanding look on his face – I don’t think twice. He waits (almost) patiently while I grab shoes, sunglasses, and his leash, and off we go.
While I absolutely reap the benefits of these walks, I know I would talk myself out of it every time if I was to walk solo, for myself only rather than for Mondo. Any excuse will do. Most of the time my excuses to not exercise have to do with time and to-do lists. I’m sure that sounds familiar.
It’s ironic that exercise gives me anxiety because exercise happens to be great for combatting anxiety. So, therefore I’m grateful for Mondo’s help. Recently, upon our return from the park, I unhooked his leash and whispered, “Thank you.”
I said it out loud and have since made it part of our walks, like saying Namaste at the end of a yoga class. It gives closure to our walk and feels like an opportunity to honor both of our minds, bodies, and spirits, Mondo’s and mine. I thank him for getting me outside and on the move. I tell him, “Thank you for helping me get fresh air and vitamin D and for helping me notice the violets and the honey suckle. Thank you for helping me clear my head. Thank you for getting me the exercise I can’t seem to give myself.”
I don’t ruin all this gratitude by following it up with an apology, but sometimes I want to tell him I’m sorry I rely on him so much. But right now, this is what I need – his help, this help from a friend. And let’s be honest, he doesn’t mind. If he could respond he’d probably say, “Put your sorries in a sack. If this is what you need, let’s go on more walks!”
He thinks I’m walking him. But he’s the one pulling me out the door, down the sidewalk, along the creek, all the way to the park and back.
Occasionally I listen to a podcast or an audiobook or music. A lot of times I call my mom. Sometimes I pay attention to nature, to the wildflowers and the birds. Sometimes I simply pay attention to him, to how the sun highlights the blonde in his brindle pattern, to how adorable his pointy-eared shadow is, to the musical sound his dog tags make. I inevitably end up singing Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” in my head. “In the jingle jangle mornin’ I’ll come followin’ you” plays right in tune with the jingle jangle of Mondo’s tags as I follow him down the path.
It might be the best advice I’ve ever received or could ever give: Go take a walk. If that also means, go get a dog to take you on walks, if you’re at a place to take on that responsibility, I recommend that as well. In my experience, dogs are good for us, especially when it comes to consistency and accountability. Mondo helps me keep showing up.
Walking Inspiration for Book Lovers
- Flaneuse: Women Walk the City in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice and London by Lauren Elkin
- The Odd Woman and the City by Vivian Gornick
- The Wander Society by Keri Smith
- 52 Ways to Walk: The Surprising Science of Walking for Wellness and Joy, One Week at a Time by Annabel Streets
- In Praise of Walking: A New Scientific Exploration by Shane O’Mara
- The Salt Path by Raynor Winn
