Pleasurable and free 4


There are a lot of things that are pleasurable and free but today I’m talking about the pleasure of taking a walk.


It has been my joy recently to take walks with a couple of new friends in Dorchester as well as to continue on solo jaunts while doing errands across Boston.  I have walked through Cedar Grove Cemetery (how tranquil) and along the Neponset River (how calming).  I have walked down Dorchester Avenue from Ashmont Station beyond Field’s Corner (I plan to make it all the way to Columbia Road).  I’ve walked by the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center and made my way to South Station.  I have walked through the Boston Commons, the Public Garden and up Newbury Street.  I plan to walk along the path around the golf course in Franklin Park again – a walk I did daily for some years.


Walking has many benefits besides boosting fitness.  Walking:


o Allows me to know my neighborhood and other neighborhoods in a more intimate way than public transportation or auto travel allow;
o Sweeps stresses and concerns away;
o Brings solutions to writing problems and ideas for new stories and essays;
o Takes me back to childhood as I hear the laughter of children and have re-memories of my own childhood;
o Gives me freedom to meander aimlessly or stride with purpose;
o Makes me sweat (especially going up hills) and cools me down (with breezes coming off water or from the canopy of trees);
o Is a prayer of gratitude as I count my blessing while walking in solitude;
o Is the joy of companionship and unexpected conversations;
o Is the beauty of flowers and architecture and other people;
Is a wonderful way to spend time with my granddaughter and point out things along the way;
o Allows me to catch up to myself and what’s going on with me while listening to my thoughts;
o Massages my tired feet especially when I walk on grass or sand;
o Limbers me up.


What is sweeter than feeling the sun on my face, working up a thirst, and sipping or gulping water to quench it? How refreshing to take a cleansing shower or soak in a tub after walk.  Best of all –  it’s free and always available!  When I get a slicker, I may even walk in the rain (hair be damned!).  When I can corral my husband, I plan to walk with him hand-in-hand just because he’s my guy.


If you don’t already, I urge you to take a walk.  It’ll do your body and soul good.


About Candelaria Silva

Candelaria Silva-Collins is a marketing, community outreach and programming consultant; writer; and trainer/facilitator who lives in Boston, Massachusetts. She has designed and facilitated workshops on a wide variety of topics including communication, facilitation, job search skills, team building, and parenting issues. She currently coordinates the Community Membership Program of the Huntington Theatre Company. Her work as Director of ACT Roxbury was profiled in several publications, including The Creative Communities Builders Handbook. Candelaria’s children’s stories, short stories, essays and reviews have been published in local and national publications and she is an active blogger. Her publications include the booklets, Handling Rejection; Pushing through Shyness: Networking Tips when You’re Shy, Slow to Warm Up or Just don’t Feel you Belong; and Real Questions about Sex & Relationships for Teens: A Discussion Guide for Parents. She has served on the boards of Goddard College, Wheelock Family Theatre, Boston Foundation for Architecture, and Discover Roxbury. She is currently Chair, Designators of the Henderson Foundation.

4 thoughts on “Pleasurable and free

  • Jim

    My dog tore a ligament in his knee. Before that he walked a mile and a half every day, usually with me. Before we got him, I never took regular walks. Now we sit at home and mope. He knows about the need. Now I do, too. I hope he heals fast.

  • Patricia

    I finally got out from behind the wheel of my car and walked in my neighborhood for the first time since my early 20s. You miss so much when you drive. I plan to do a lot more walking and get to know my city better.

  • Candelaria

    Glad that you have rediscovered your neighborhood. Walking will do that for you. Keep stepping.

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