Country Lore: Walking Builds Community

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 Ridout says when she's walking she feels
 Ridout says when she's walking she feels "connected, whole and sane."
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Even children can play a role in community building by taking a stroll through on the neighborhood sidewalk.
Even children can play a role in community building by taking a stroll through on the neighborhood sidewalk.

I am an avid walker, who follows the same route every day. I love the rhythmic pleasure of walking, the wind in my hair, the rain on my face and the change of scenery wrought by the seasonal changes.

But there is more to walking than exercise. When I go walking, I also go visiting. Walking creates an interlude in my day when I stop to talk with friends and catch up on neighborhood news. Friendships grow from such small encounters, and I feel my walking has spun a welcome web of friendship around my neighbors and myself. I treasure the people I’ve met and the community they provide.

Such connections have been possible because of the regularity of my walks. I have followed the same route every day for years, becoming a neighborhood fixture. As I go by, neighbors cannot help but smile and wave.

Over time, waves turned into casual conversation, and casual conversation into warm relationships, and, in some cases, close friendships. It is almost impossible to see the same people every day and not have a friendship grow.

Walking has also increased the variety of people in my life. Through its simplicity, walking eliminates barriers that keep people apart. I talk with neighbors of all ages. We are at different stages of our lives, but my walk brings us together, making it possible to offer each other a mix of practical information, emotional support and new perspectives.

  • Published on Mar 9, 2011
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