The Man Who Walks Things to the Bin

What is your favourite form of physical exercise?

I walk.
I walk the dog every morning, a loyal companion beside me as the neighbourhood wakes.
I walk to the shops and back, when others would drive.
I walk ideas into shape — a podcast in my ears, a thought in my head, and before long, the start of something new.

I’ve been through faster seasons.
When I was twelve, I ran with my father in the cool dawn air.
When I was twenty, I rode my bike to work — thirty minutes there, eight hours mowing lawns, thirty minutes home again.
That was the fittest I’ve ever been. I don’t ride anymore; Sydney traffic feels too risky.

Now I walk.
I even walk my rubbish to the bins at the far end of the building.
The cleaners don’t understand, but I like the rhythm of it — a few extra steps, a few passing conversations, a sense of the place breathing.
Walking slows the world down to human speed.

Most days, something small and good happens while I’m walking —
a new idea, a quick conversation, a moment of perspective.
Maybe that’s why I keep walking:
it’s exercise, yes, but also a way of staying awake to the world.

Daily writing prompt

What is your favorite form of physical exercise?

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