Long Walks.

Because they do a mind good. Sometimes you just have to set your problems down and a take a journey to another place. Somewhere in the woods, somewhere with a breathtaking view, somewhere meaningful, or even just the sidewalk. The outside world can cleanse the lungs and unclog the mind of the stuffiness of real life. Even if for a small moment. It can make the difference between making irrational decisions and clearly thinking things through. Space is a required element for a healthy thought process, because it means there’s room to expand and mature.

Early this morning, a little past midnight, I made the walk from my friends’s dorm room back to mine despite it being so late. I had not planned on this walk being filled with reflection and analysis of my emotions like some of my walks are, but this one ended up being just that. I found myself digging deep into my mind for clues and answers as to what I’m doing now and what I should do in the future. Later today, I made the walk home again around midnight. My mind was quiet this time, with only a single thought. Why am I here? 

That’s a loaded question, I realize, but it came to me tonight. I don’t know, I answered. And I’m right, I don’t know. Nobody knows why they’re put here on earth, but they are. This walk made me think about everything and everyone that has ever made an impact on me, and why they changed me so. It was a long, rough walk home, needless to say. But it was one that needed to be made, for my sake and for the sake of others around me. Life is one of those topics that simply is, and no matter how often we ponder and question the existence of everything, we’re never going to be satisfied with our answers. What we should do, rather than try to figure out what it all means, is cherish it. Life is too fragile to be poked and prodded with questions. It should be accepted, loved, enjoyed, and never taken for granted. It’s something you can’t get back once it’s gone, a lesson some of us don’t learn until it’s too late.

I can’t say I love my life all the time. I don’t. Not when things aren’t okay. But taking a nice, long walk can help me remember that it will be, someday. Even during the darkest of nights.