The case for going outside

Yes, inspiration can be found anywhere! I love people watching, I could easily sit on a bench in a city mall and observe(of course I don't live in the city and we don't have a traditional mall where I live) but you get the point. I guess a busy park bench would do also...how I would love to plop myself down on a bench in New York City and just watch.

There was no case for going outside here (Anchorage, Alaska) yesterday: freezing rain mixed with snow pellets and wind. Today, a really bright object appeared in the sky at mid-afternoon, provoking great wonder among the local populace, so maybe tomorrow it will continue to be there and be inspiring.

Seriously, however, in the distant days when I was a competitive distance runner, a good five-mile training run helped my mental faculties quite a bit. So, yeah, physical exercise is definitely a useful thing, for all kinds of reasons. Alas, in these latter days, the knees no longer permit such therapy, but I do walk about a lot.

caw

Every day or I'd go crazy. A 75-90 minute walk along the river - brisk enough that I can't talk, sunrise in summer, sunset in winter. And I take my phone because I always think of something that I want the WiP to incorporate. Also, there's birds, cows, dogs, 'roos, wallabies, lamas, rabbits, foxes, goannas, ducks, mallards, wombats, an echidna (sometimes) lizards and snakes. It's a good walk and I think it's my favourite part of the day.

I like going for walks. Helps clear the mind.

Unfortunately, we live on the Hill from Hell. Plus the weather sucks, and the newer neighbors drive like bats out of heck (and no sidewalks.) And work's messed up my one foot, making lots of walking, especially on hills (and extra especially on the Hill from Hell), Not Fun. And I'm expected to be on tap for trips to "the store" during daylight hours.

But I do pace, almost incessantly, when thinking. Drives the family nuts, but I have nowhere else to go... (Keep thinking I need to get a treadmill or stationary bike, but I have nowhere to put one.)

mccardey said:

Every day or I'd go crazy. A 75-90 minute walk along the river - brisk enough that I can't talk, sunrise in summer, sunset in winter. And I take my phone because I always think of something that I want the WiP to incorporate. Also, there's birds, cows, dogs, 'roos, wallabies, lamas, rabbits, foxes, goannas, ducks, mallards, wombats, an echidna (sometimes) lizards and snakes. It's a good walk and I think it's my favourite part of the day.

Click to expand...

Same ^

I am fortunate to live in possibly one of the best spots in the world (and I don't say that lightly...). The Thames flows past my garden (thorough it sometimes), and the house is on a private lane with maybe thirty other houses. At the end of the lane is a wooded peninsular which separates the river from a lake and which the residents can wander round at leisure, but we also have access to cross a weir to the towpath on the opposite bank which is used extensively by dog-walkers, joggers, and general strollers so we have an amazing combination of wildlife, solitude, and people!

So, yeah, around an hour a day does it for me after which any lack of writing is just laziness (c: We don't have wallabies, but we have foxes, swans, crested grebes, geese (white, Canada, and Egyptian), coots, moorhens, cormorants, herons, ducks, water rats, mink... oh, and for good measure, the non-river birds; I have seen sparrows, robins, tits, finches, blackbirds, woodpeckers, thrushes, cuckoos, wood-pigeons, jays, magpies, sparrow-hawks, red-kites and, weirdly, a flock of parakeets. We do have grass snakes; they're very shy but I did find one in my compost heap once.

Perhaps I should give up on the SF/F and write about wildlife (c:

I was going to work on the van this morning (converting to a camper), but as the snow is gone, the sun is almost shining, and the daffs are out, I think I shall go and strap on the walking boots!