What am I thinking about when I am walking
In the first month of living in Australia, W and I have already got our WA driving licenses, and we thought we should buy a car quickly. However, until now, we haven’t done so.
We discussed buying a second-hand car, which would give us more flexibility, freedom and convenience to explore the city and enjoy life. But we hesitated and analysed the reasons as follows:
Living close to the city, convenience is high with free access to public transport and some places are within walking distance.
Commuting to and from work on weekdays is preferable to public transport as parking in the city is expensive. Car use scenarios were limited to weekends.
Weekend plans included walking in a place we hadn’t been before, shopping for ingredients, relaxing at home and exercising. For long journeys, we use Uber or Didi.
If you want to do the financial maths, the cost of taking a taxi is far less than the expenses of buying, using and maintaining a car.
We all know it’s a way of thinking and living without a car. If we had a car, our weekend plans might change. But for now, we’d like to settle down first.
As for me, I’m fond of walking. If there’s enough time, the distance is not very far, and the weather is nice, I’ll walk to my destination.
In my article ‘Folded City’ I wrote:
Convenience as a quest for efficiency is represented by transport. The human foot is seen as backward, slow and incapable of keeping up with the march of time. Cities are designed less on the scale of the human body and more on the transport service.
The same is true of Perth, but the difference is that the roads and their sides are a bit more ornamental. I keep looking at the gardens of the houses I pass, subconsciously comparing which ones are well-kept and which ones aren’t.
I also think about what’s going on down there as I walk.
Usually, I unconsciously scan everything as far as the eye can see.
Watching plants, birds, people. Smiling politely to those who come my way.
Listening to English-language podcasts to improve my listening skills by carefully identifying what the hosts are saying.
I also listen to music, but at a much lower frequency, more to create a separation from the outside than to listen.
Murmuring what I see in English.
Destination means ‘purpose’. When I’m walking, I’m thinking about what to do and how to do it.
If I am in a hurry, I’ll pick up the pace and occasionally check the map to see if there is a shortcut I can take.
If I’ve already taken that route, I’ll try to take a different one.
Another green space to walk or exercise in next time.
When walking in Bold Park, there are concerns about the danger of snakes.
I’m going to let go completely. Concentrate on the walk itself.
Thoughts abound but don’t settle into any particular decision or idea.
Let’s end with a quote from the book ‘Wanderlust: A History of Walking’.
Walking makes it possible to string everything together, because only by walking can you live in the whole world, not just in the little worlds that divide it.
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