March = Walk

I've said it before and I'll say it again: walking is therapy. More than just exercise for the body it is exercise for the mind. Walking clears my mind and helps me think, work things out. I remember a long time ago in a land far, far away (Seattle 1995) I began to think of walking as a healing movement. I was just starting to read the Buddhist philosophers and came across Thich Nhat Hanh (peace activist, author, and Vietnamese Buddhist monk) and his concept of walking meditation. I practiced it whenever I could: on the way to the bus stop, on my walk through a tiny parcel of wetland to school. It looks a bit zombie-ish to the observer- such intention in the slow steps. It appealed to that side of me that finds it hard to keep still but still wants to be in touch with deliberate movement and breath.

Nowadays, I walk often- at work when I have a break from teaching, with the dog, or I try to find clarity in the moments when I am walking to the car, through the grocery store.....
It's so therapeutic for me that I want it to be a part of my every day. So, the March challenge is to walk every day. And as residue from the walk- I'm posting haikus based on that day's walk.

From yesterday:

Sounds of Spring

Stopping me as I walk by
One thousand frogs croak
No chirping bird to be heard

From today:

Recognition

With fanny pack and white shoes
Tall black woman smiles
when we pass each other twice