There is nothing but the present.
The past is simply a present that no longer is. Even the memory of it and the act of remembering the past is found in the present. On the other hand, the future is simply the present that has not become yet. It is awaiting to be present. Everything that occurs, occurs only in the present moment.
Walking is a tribute to the present.
As we walk, we continually move from our former position in space to a new one while never staying on a single point within a given span of time. We are always where we are but at the same time, we are never where we were at any given moment beyond that moment. In a way, we become our movement.
Our location in space becomes fleeting and unimportant and what becomes important is our location not in space but in time, which is the always present. By walking, therefore, we are able to be where time urges us to be: here and now.
Walking creates time.
The common understanding of how to effectively maximize our time is to speed things up, to produce more in less time. Of course. But notice how time seems to fly past us when we squeeze in so much activity into a small amount of time.
Walking is naturally slow. When done properly, it is simply the act of taking one foot in front the other, moving the body from one place to the next. It’s a kind of gliding that takes almost no effort. Our momentum guides our bodies forward.
As a rebellion against speed and mindlessness, the slowness of a walk prolongs the moment with repetition. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot. We find ourselves in a loop, where we take the minutes and seconds for what they’re really worth, something that goes well beyond any measurable productivity.
Walking creates space.
When we walk for the sake of walking and not for the purpose of reaching a destination, we let our bodies do the thinking. We let our feet decide where they want to go. And because our body lifts the responsibility of thinking from our heads, the mind is unhinged. It is open to possibilities and is free to wander where and how it wishes.
Now, there is space for all five senses, for true awareness and clarity. The constant change in surroundings, smells, temperatures, terrain – these are all points from which thoughts, ideas, and breakthroughs are born.