Walk While You Can

By: Ainsley Catherine

To walk. To run. To skip and twirl. Humans’ natural means of movement upon two legs, with ankles, and feet, is distinct and only shared by a few other creatures. Our means of balancing on one foot to the other to move us from place to place is so unique that scientists struggle to create machines capable of moving just as we do and yet we so often take it for granted.

Walking itself is full of variations, unique in gait and speed, differing due to one’s biology, history, and purpose in that moment. The length of one’s legs, physical state, personality, and reason for walking all play a part. Personally, I have shorter legs but always prefer to walk fast whether I need to be somewhere or not, and I often find it annoying to be stuck behind slow walkers. On the other hand, there are people who prefer to walk at a leisurely pace even when they have somewhere to be, this applies especially to teenage boys in crowded school hallways. People often also each have a sort of pattern in their walk. Some may climb the stairs with each alternating foot on different steps or lead with one and have the other join before continuing on. Location may also affect one’s walking as the surface may be uneven or unstable, may change direction or be at an incline. Our bodies adapt to these varying circumstances and as such each individual has their own unique manners of walking.

Sometimes the patterns and differences in our gait are so distinct that people, especially those close to each other, come to recognize the sound and or feeling of another’s footsteps. Many children, I can concur, recognize the steps of their mother when she walks up the stairs or nears their room. My mother has told me that she can tell who in our family is coming up or down the stairs just by the sounds of our footsteps; mine evidently tend to be uneven or sporadic as I often sort of dance, jump, and or skip down the stairs, while my younger brothers sound like elephants, pounding their feet into the floor or sometimes even climbing the stairs on all fours. The men in my family also have a distinct way of walking that my mom and I like to call “The Allen Walk” and it is funny to be walking behind my three brothers and father and see them do this almost identical shuffling step.

Walking is not always easy, there are many struggles that can come with it. We all have that one person in our lives that cannot walk straight for the life of them and end up squishing us against the wall or off the sidewalk. My brother used to trip over thin air when he was little, thinking back it was likely due to him always wearing crocs and never walking, that child ran everywhere, nevertheless we would always have a laugh saying something along the lines of must have been a fold in the road that he tripped over. There are many factors that can get in the way or deter one from choosing to walk, whether it be something external such as distance or weather or something more internal like pain or fear. In any case even when there are days and situations perfect for walking, most people choose not to.

Often we prefer to enjoy the human invention of the wheel, preferring to drive, be pulled in a wagon or pushed around on a wheely chair; however we will always be able to do such things, and eventually there will be a time when that is all we are capable of. Many people incapable of walking for their entire lives, or those that suffer from an injury or illness which makes it painful or impossible for them to walk do not have the same luxury able-bodied people do. And even able-bodied people will lose the ability to time. It is common for the elderly to reminisce on the time when they could move around on their own, with no assistance, no pain, and no constant fear of falling. At numerous funerals I have attended of those who pass in their old age, attendees mention that the deceased are now happily running through the fields in heaven just like when they were young. But why do we not see walking for the gift it is until it is too late? 

There is a saying along the lines of you never truly miss something until it is gone, and this fully applies to our ability to walk. We often prefer to use other means of transportation and it takes losing the ability to walk normally for us all to want to walk. I have experienced glimpses of what it is like to mourn walking when suffering from numerous leg and feet injuries over the years. The best way I can describe it is like how when afflicted with a cold we realize how great it is to be able to breathe out of our nose; when unable to walk without a limp or some sort of crutch, it is hard to remember what it felt like to walk before. Even now my gait is permanently altered with a slight limp, due to a pass pulled muscle in my hip and knee, and I wonder what it was like for me before. I cannot remember. There are times when my feet hurt, or I am tired or impatient, but when I take a moment to consider my life in the moment and what it might be in the future, I appreciate my somewhat well-working legs and my ability to walk and we all should. It will not be long before we begin to feel the effects of time; anything could happen that could steal away our unique, diverse and varying means of moving through the world on our own, so let’s walk while we can.