Connections Walking
by Bart Schoeneman, Ph.D.
Walking Connection Member Since 1996

Many of the great thinkers through the ages have been known as walkers. Doing some of their thinking while walking. It is not unusual for people to pace back and forth while they try to solve life's problems. It is also not unusual for people in the throes of anger to take a walk to cool down. And there are the solitary walkers who walk just for the pleasure of quiet moments in the pursuit of peace of mind. What is common in all of these events is that a person connects with the self. Connect = unite.

Connect = link, join, fasten together. Walking with another person provides a time to share thoughts which bring the walkers together. When we take a walk we leave many distractions behind and have a time to focus on each other and that, which is between us. We may have a common pace with the swinging of arms, the stepping of feet, the unison of breath, and the sharing of thoughts together -- connected.

Walking is our primary mode of transportation throughout history. When we leave our other means of transportation, which usually encapsulate us, shield us, from our environments, we are free and not isolated. Thus freed we are able to observe our surroundings from ground level. We can see our environment at a human pace from a human perspective. Walking through a city crowded with others, though they may not be known to us, there is an excitement which we do not feel when we are not walking. To walk through another's country, or city, with the citizens of the same is to share a connection which we do not have when we are not walking. Without speaking we are sharing our lives. Connect = to cause to be associated in a relationship.

Connect = make contact. The importance of making contact with nature is the importance of maintaining our lives in the environment in which we live. Man's mobility through the world via walking allows him to feel the breezes' temperatures and the winds, to hear the crunching of the snow and the shifting of the sand, to hear the rustle of the autumn leaves and the soft brush of the forest moss, to smell, to hear, to see the wonders of the universe. To stop and hear the silence of the steps not taken. We will be remembered here by the tracks which we leave - our connections when walking - our walking connections.

"Take care to wonder through the world through which you wander, never hurry by an open door, for the world is full of miracles galore!" (Song)

Editor's Note: Bart and Gilda are long-time members of the Walking Connection. They have traveled extensively with us and have made many contributions to the organization, especially to our Children's Global Village Project.

RELEASE: Exercise is only one part of being healthy, seeing your doctor is another! If, at any time during a training session (whether it is a group session, individual personal training session, or self-training session), you suffer any mishap or injury, we urge you to stop your activity immediately and seek professional medical attention. The information contained on this site is intended to give information about personal health and fitness, not to act as a medical manual or guide to self-treatment. Keep in mind that exercise, health and nutritional needs vary from person to person, depending on age, gender, family medical history, current health status, and other individual factors . Before engaging in these, or any other exercise or recreational activities, we urge all individuals to consult a physician. He or she is most-qualified to advise each about your specific health status and needs. By participating in any Walking Connection walk, hike or event, now or in the future, I have and do hereby fully assume all risk of injury, property damage, emotional trauma and death, and it is my intention for me and my heirs, executors and administrators to waive any and all right and claims for damages I may have against Gene and Jo Ann Taylor, Taylor Marketing and Management, LLC., The Walking Connection and any individual associated with these walks, hikes or events, their representatives, successors, and assignees, and will hold them harmless for any and all injuries, mishaps and loss of property suffered in connection with my participation in these walks, hikes, events.