Why We Like To Walk

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A renowned philosopher (Friedrich Nietzsche) once said “all good thoughts
are conceived while walking” which, while I am presently sitting cozy,
does not bode well for this blog. But I am told that it is “my turn to write
something”, so whether good, bad, or just inane, here are a few romantic
thoughts on why we walk here, and walk much.

We see the way the grapevines in January look like the gnarled old
hands on Grandmama.

We hear the crunching sound of the limestone Garrigue underfoot, like
ten thousand thousand years.

We catch the scent of sage in winter, only a wisp, only here and there,
but just enough.

We touch the stone walls, and when we do we touch the ages.

We feel the sun and the wind, twin sisters that carry us our daily bread.

We burn the extra calories and the insidious toxins (oh yes we do!) but
without the fires of complaint.

We savour the bread and cheese midway on our day, and know that a
king does not feast better.

We meet the men in orange hats hunting boar, with Languedoc accents
thicker than untrimmed moustaches and smiles that belie their sturdy
frames.

We see the magpies and storks, the sheep and horses, the donkeys and
taureax, and consider that they are just fine hosts.

We talk to the kindly man who sells us his goat cheese, a white apron
and a timid smile, yet another dissident against Gaulic aloofness.

We talk of things mysterious and of things banal, all the while cleaning
and sweeping inside.

We fatten ourselves on surprises and wonder, and fill the ever-
expanding store of our human riches.

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Comments

[Gary Myers]

The Heart of the Issue
Me, too! Cars are a very convenient form of transportation. However, since the time of their proliferation in the last century they have almost completely supplanted self-propulsion as the way we get anywhere except around our own homes. What a pity, because in a car we are totally insulated from the world through which we pass -- there is no experience beyond the rapidly changing visual. We cannot touch or feel the ages, as you put it. We cannot interact with the local people except the kid at the convenience store counter. Heck, we can't even experience the climate unless we do the unthinkable -- turn off the heater or a/c and roll the windows down (and open the sunroof!). I sure enjoy these blogs, you guys. Keep it up!