Happy Sauntering Day! No, I did't just mumble "Happy Saturday" but I hope yours is off to a great start. I know you've got tons of great stuff planned for the day so I will keep this short. The world around us is moving at such a hectic pace that we often forget to slow down and smell the proverbial roses. We are even walking faster, putting every ounce of haste we can into what is otherwise the most leisurely mode of locomotion. How frustrating is it to get stuck behind someone you feel could be dusted by a turtle? But this day isn’t just an opportunity for us to remember to walk. It is, more importantly, an opportunity for us to take a genuinely relaxed tack to the day, and choose to saunter through it rather than sprint. Oddly enough we have speed craze to thank for this day. This holiday was formed by W.T. Rabe in 1979 as a response to the sworn enemy of the Saunter, jogging, which was starting to take off. The whole thinking behind the day was to get people to slow down a little and take more note of the world around them. To ‘saunter’ is ‘to walk along in a slow and relaxed manner.’ Jogging, in his view, was a grueling attack on the body. Rapidity and effort drained all the joy out of movement by making each step as painful as possible. Sauntering was, in his view, unquestionably superior. Rabe’s son once said, ‘Sauntering, as my father would say, is going from point X to point Z, which means you don’t care where you’re going, how you’re going, or when you might get there.’ The idea, he said, was to smell the roses and to pay attention to the world around you. You may be asking why a company called "Fit & Able" is promoting an activity that is the antithesis of jogging. BUT there's far more to this than just avoiding strenuous exercise. Taking it easy so you can be present in the moment, without concern for what lays ahead, will help you feel that the weight of the world has been lifted from your shoulders. You walk free from stress and strain and can focus on the pure joy of the act. It is more meditative and contemplative. You have the opportunity to experience life to the fullest instead of feeling puffed out and tired. Not only will you feel invigorated, but you may spot things you wouldn’t have noticed otherwise – the birds singing, the flowers blooming, or the unexpected love of your life brushing past you in the street. It is the antithesis of jogging – a painful act that robs you of your experience of the outside world, where you are focused on keeping up the face and your senses dulled by the repetitive pounding feet and heavy breathing. Your mind is so intent on reaching the end so that you can finally stop that you get tunnel vision that blocks out everything around you. That's not to say that jogging is bad for you by any means. But if it's all you do, especially when you are outside, then you very well may miss out on some of the wonderful things that enrich our world. As Henry David Thoreau said: “I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits unless I spend four hours a day at least – and it is commonly more than that – sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely free from all worldly engagements.” What better day is there to go for a good saunter or even a meandering bike ride than a Saturday? Let the stresses of your week go and get primed for a great weekend. If you have any questions or topics you would like me to talk about in future videos, please drop a comment below or shoot me an email at info@fitandable.net! And, if you don't mind, please share this with your friends and family; they might hear something that helps them out. t! Thank you for racing with Fit & Able.
