Sometimes when my daughter and I walk the loop around our neighborhood, people remark how consistent we are, and how they see us every day, and how we inspire them. We’ve been walking regularly since 2019 when the pandemic sent us into isolation.
I love the comments. We feel famous! My favorite comment of all, and one I receive regularly, is how refreshing it is to see a cool teenager walking with her mother every day. Moms of toddlers will say, “I hope my teen daughter will walk with me like your daughter walks with you.”
Yesterday, a mom told me that her 6 year old (who alway watches in the window as my daughter and I walk past her house) said, “Mommy, when I grow up, I want to walk with you like that girl. She’s so cool. I want to do that with you.”
I tell my daughter we’re starting a walking campaign, a movement, a revolution!
It is good for any family members to walk together. On a walk, you can talk or just observe your surroundings. You can take an “awe walk” to find wonderful things (owls, pinecones) or just notice how other people live. We observe houses, cars, gardens. We love noting Christmas decorations. We talk about music, TikTok, school, things we’re learning. We dream about the future. We laugh and tease each other. We de-stress. We talk about God.
We walk for 40 minutes to an hour. The time flies. We stay healthy–physically and relationally.