It’s a quarter to 8PM and I’m approaching the evening of my daily walk. Here, where I stand, is the most satisfying part about my trek. Day or night, the view from this hill is breathtakingly stunning. They say the view from the top is always the best that’s why no matter how challenging the climb is, I still continue my ascent because what awaits me at the top is priceless. And I’m not the only one who thinks so. You see, every time I’ve passed by here, I find people who appreciate the view as much as I do. Unlike me, who just slows her stride but keeps on moving , this team seats and experiences sunrises and sunsets. Just like today, they usually comprise a team of 3–4 with a JBL speaker to accompany the mood. It is exactly the kind of small outing that I would prefer to have with my friends. Watching the sky change its colors as the stars and moon begin take their place in the night sky.
I started taking walks earlier on in 2024 but then I got busy with my corporate life and totally abandoned my new found passion. So at the beginning of 2025, one of my new year resolutions was to walk everyday. I started with a lot of vigor as we always do when it’s a new year. But even before I checked my Health app, I knew that my steps had noticeably reduced by almost 1,000 steps on average by end of February.
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Walking has made me realize a couple of things about the world, my surroundings, and most especially about myself. I am someone who accustomed myself to using a boda boda (motorcycle) for wherever I went, regardless of how short the distance was. And by short, I really mean 5 minutes short or even less. I would rather pay that UGSHS 1,000 than to walk. I would aways have excuses like how the sun was too bright, or I need to get there as quickly as possible, or any other justification to my laziness.
But now, I realize how places I thought were very far, are actually quite close. Merely a 15 minutes walk or 30. The first time I took what I had considered a longer route, it actually ended up being merely a 20-minute-walk and I was in utter disbelief. If it weren’t me who had taken the steps, I would not have believed it. And the craziest part about it all is that I did not feel exhausted. Matter of fact, I felt rejuvenated. I felt like I needed to take one more step forward to see how far I could go. And I did.
One more step. One more step. Just, one more step.
Walking has made me feel so alive, not only physically but holistically. I get to think better when I am on these walks. I find inspiration in so many things that I see. I get to experience a heightened sense of sonder each and every single day which grounds me as a human being. I discover things and places that have always been in plain sight but were hidden since I would just zoom by. I now see my neighborhood with some new perspective and I do not hate it as much. And above all these, walking makes me feel accomplished. It’s like a reward that I give myself, knowing that it has paid off both now, and for my future self. Whenever I return from that two hour trek, I am filled with joy, and a lightness that goes beyond the physical. Who knew that I would have so much fun from something I dreaded for years?
I look forward to my next walk, my next discovery, my next adventure.