The Lost Art of Going Nowhere
Why your feet might be braver than your brain
This Week’s Courage Newsletter
"Early one morning, any morning, we can set out, with the least possible baggage, and discover the world." - Thomas A. Clark
Why movement creates meaning and footsteps lead to freedom
Scare Your Soul Challenge: The Deliberate Wander
Bottom line: Some answers can only be found on foot
Dear Courageous Souls (and Fellow Wanderers),
Last Tuesday, I was stuck.
Writer's block had me in a headlock, my inbox was overflowing, and my mind felt like a browser with too many tabs open.
My usual solutions - more coffee, more thinking, more trying - were getting me nowhere.
So I did something radical: I went nowhere.
Literally.
I stepped outside my door with no destination, no playlist, no podcast - just me and the rhythm of my feet against the pavement.
What happened next wasn't just a walk; it was a revelation.
There's something almost magical about what happens when we walk without purpose.
Not the hurried walking of morning commutes or grocery store aisles, but the kind where, as Rebecca Solnit beautifully puts it,
"the mind, the body, and the world are aligned."
The science is fascinating: A simple walk can reduce stress hormones by 40%. Our creative output increases by an average of 60% when we're moving.
But here's what the researchers can't measure: the way problems unknot themselves in the gentle rhythm of footfall after footfall, the way clarity sneaks in through the side door when we stop hunting it down.
As Nietzsche noted, "All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking." Perhaps because walking, unlike our modern solutions, doesn't demand answers. It simply offers perspective - one step at a time.
This Week's Scare Your Soul Challenge: The Deliberate Wander
There's a profound difference between a journey and a walk. As poet Thomas Clark tells us, "a journey implies a destination, so many miles to be consumed, while a walk is its own measure, complete at every point along the way."
This week, I invite you to discover what happens when you walk not to get somewhere, but simply to be somewhere. To find out what thoughts, insights, and possibilities emerge when you give your mind the gift of movement.
Here's how to begin your walking practice:
Choose Your Wandering Window:
30 minutes of unstructured time
No destination in mind
No playlist, no podcasts
Just you and the rhythm of your steps
Set Your Walking Intentions:
Leave your problems at the starting point
Notice what catches your attention
Welcome whatever thoughts arise
Let your feet guide you where they will
During Your Walk:
Feel the ground beneath your feet
Notice how your thoughts shift with your steps
Pay attention to what falls away
Observe what clarity emerges
After Your Return:
Write down any insights that surfaced
Note which problems seemed smaller
Record what solutions appeared uninvited
Acknowledge how your perspective shifted
Remember: As Clark reminds us,
"There are walks on which I lose myself, walks which return me to myself again." Sometimes getting lost is exactly how we find our way.
With courage (and really comfortable shoes),
P.S. Where did your feet take you? What did they help you discover? Share your walking revelations in the comments. Sometimes the most profound discoveries come from the simplest movements.