Thinking On My Feet

 

    Part diary, part seasonal record, part profiles of remarkable people, Kate Humble's Thinking On My Feet shows the act of walking as so much more than a means of getting from A to B.

    As Elizabeth von Arnim said, "Walking is the perfect way of moving if you want to see into the life of things. It is the one way of freedom. If you go to a place on anything but your own two feet, you are taken there too fast, and miss a thousand delicate joys that were waiting for you by the wayside." So the author sets off (at a run!) at the beginning of the year and charts her journeys at home and abroad, whether celebrating the natural world, pounding city pavements, testing her endurance and independence, or using the clarity of mind that a good walk provides to solve problems or raise her mood.

    As she walks, whether alone, with her dogs, or with friends, Kate Humble observes her surroundings, reflects on "the joyous, almost hypnotic pleasure of walking", even when the route is tough, and finds in this simple form of exercise a grounding which sustains her on a daily basis. After a week - some of it difficult - on the Wye Valley Walk Kate writes, "I haven't switched off - I don't feel blank, nor does my mind feel empty, but it feels uncrowded, unburdened, open to suggestion, able to take in and absorb the small happenings of the day. To take pleasure from them." This state of awareness and connection becomes as vital as breathing.

    Kate, necessarily, walks in all weathers and all states of mind, but almost regardless of the conditions - external and internal - when she sets out, her walks provide a stretch, a shift, a levelling.

    Should any further prompt be needed, take this short passage from Kate's early morning walk by the River Clyde in Glasgow: "It is an hour of serenity, a state that philosopher Frédéric Gros describes like this:

    Serenity comes from simply following the path. And then, while walking, serenity comes because all the hassles and dramas, all the things that gouge empty furrows in our lives and our bodies, become as if suspended ... Serenity is the immense sweetness of no longer expecting anything, just walking, just moving on. "

Comments

[LizF]

I did enjoy this, partly because she writes as she talks and her voice comes through so clearly.
I can't say it made me want to rush out there and start power walking or taking part in any serious races, but I certainly intend to get out and about on the weekend more often!

[Toffeeapple]

If I could...

[Dark Puss]

I walk (at speed) about 5 km a day to and from my place of work and home. It isn't much but it does keep some level of fitness. I walk a lot for pleasure both in the countryside and, of course, in London. Most of my thinking (while travelling) is however done from train or tube carriages and one should underestimate the new views (not available on foot) one can get of both our urban and rural environments from that mode of transport. Thus I don't agree totally with her view that "If you go to a place on anything but your own two feet, you are taken there too fast, and miss a thousand delicate joys that were waiting for you by the wayside."

[Cornflower]

She certainly covers a lot of ground!

[Claire]

Thanks for the push, was just thinking I don't have time to go for a walk this afternoon but now going to pull my boots on. Even half an hour will be good and it's a beautiful afternoon in Perthshire.

[Cornflower]

Living in a slower age, perhaps Elizabeth von Arnim had a different perspective on train (and other forms of) travel!

[Cornflower]

Good idea, Claire - get the daylight while you can!

[Cornflower]

Ah.

[Margaret Powling]

I am walking vicariously! Have just started this and am tagging along in Kate's wake, trying to keep up! But that's not possible for my elderly frame and constitution but I'm really enjoying the book!
Margaret P

[Cornflower]

I think Kate Humble sets the bar high!