Even some school textbooks carried essays on the benefits of walking. Doctors constantly advise, “Walk daily in the morning and evening. This will keep you healthy and maintain your blood circulation.” But for those who leave home at 7 a.m. and return by 9 p.m., how do they find time to walk? There isn’t even enough time to sleep. One also has to spend some time with family, with the wife and kids. So, this advice was invariably never followed. Lots of justifications came up: “Don’t I travel standing in the bus? Don’t I keep moving around in the office? Don’t I walk to and from the bus stop?” I felt healthy, of course. At that age, everyone feels healthy.

But as you reach the half-century mark—a landmark in cricket but not necessarily in life—you start noticing things: shortness of breath, occasional panting, an aching back, and complaining muscles all seem to rear their heads out of nowhere. And then the doctor says, “Walk daily.”

I seriously do not know whether standing in a crowded bus, walking a total of one-sixteenth of a mile spread over ten hours at work, or walking one-eighth of a mile to and from the bus stop counts as walking. Walking should be continuous, brisk, relaxed, and enjoyed. When I think about it, excuses aside, time could have been found for this.

After retirement, I tried to make walking a habit. I walked for at least an hour, sometimes pushing the limits to an hour and a half. It felt great. Then I experimented with the timings. Instead of leaving at 7 a.m., I tried a 5 a.m. routine. The feeling was wonderful. Each individual carves out a zone of comfort and solace for their walks, often taking a specific route to reach that spot. Occasionally, I see people taking shortcuts to get to their preferred walking area. But why? You want to walk, so why take a shortcut? Take the regular route and walk more!

Initially, you see strange faces. Slowly, those faces register without you even realizing it. It’s amazing how most of these walkers start at a particular time and have a set pattern for their walks. Invariably, you’ll see them, as if by appointment, at the same spot every day.

Gradually, acquaintances form, and some of these turn into friendships.

*To be continued... Part 2.