A Walking Meditation

At some point in the middle of Pandemic Year 1 with our Fitness Room closed and feeling a need to get out of our house, I started taking walks each day. At first, I hoped walking would lead to a physically healthier me and it did. But as I walked farther and farther each morning, something more was apparent. I became aware that walking had not only become a way to be more physically active, it was a necessity for my state of mind.

In walking, I’ve come to appreciate the natural world I live in. And yes, I live in a City. My expectations for discovering the beauty of the natural world in an urban environment were, I am embarrassed to say, low. I’ve discovered the ignorance of that assumption because within this City there is much to be observed and discovered. Every day, I’ve always found something surprising.

While I enjoy walking with friends, I also enjoy walking in solitude. I appreciate time to think about what is going on around me, to sort out what is or is not really important, and to press PAUSE on the continual pants-on-fire world we have inhabited over the last several years.

Walking in the quiet of trees rustling on a warm summer morning, listening for the crash of the river over the rapids after the rains stop, or the crunching of a snowpack in January - there is a peaceful quality to walking in any season.

It is in those quiet moments that I can find peace. Walking is my meditation.

LFF 2016: The View From Here

Fans of music and festivals know to keep the last weekend of July free for the Lowell Folk Festival. This year marked the 30th year for this stellar event and, for me, it was one of the best in recent memory. The weather was outstanding and the performances a treat. Did I mention the food?  If you've missed this annual free (!) festival, block out the last weekend in July on next year's calendar. You won't be disappointed.The diversity of Lowell is always a driving theme to the folk festival. Where else could you couple Cape Breton fiddling with rock-a-billy and Inuit throat singing? So many of Lowell's great photographers are out and about capturing the crowds and music and excitement - I have nothing to add to that.  But I do have a bit of another perspective on the folk festival, here's my Walking Lowell homage to this year's festival. Click the image below to go to the video.

Urban Exploring

A year ago, my patient spouse and I moved from an exurb to the city of Lowell, MA. Even though we lived in the center of this (formerly) small town, walking was not an easy activity. In fact the walk score for our former address was 24 - meaning most every errand requires a car.In addition to the advantages of downsizing at this time of our life and letting go of an incredible accumulation of "stuff", we are thoroughly enjoying the advantages of city dwelling. There are real sidewalks here! And the walk score is 94 out of 100.This summer I've made walking around Lowell a priority. There are lots of good reasons for this, not the least of which is walking is good (and painless) exercise.Armed with my iPhone, I try to notice and record at least one part of my walk each day. I'm certainly not a street photographer and an iPhone does not make me Henri Cartier-Bresson, but it's kind of a fun reminder to look around and appreciate what surrounds me.What follows is a compilation of walking around this historic and beautiful city. And we're off to more places to explore.

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