Spring is the season I start planning my days and weeks around the sun. I check the weather and decide to do my readings when it’s sunniest and I can take my books outside. I wear strategic layers I’m just itching to stuff into my closet until next year and pack lunches just so I can eat them by the water. And best of all, I take long, meandering walks.
Though I don’t think I’ve always thought of walking as something you could do as a hobby, now that the weather’s changed and I’ve found myself setting out on these long, winding adventures, it’s certainly come to feel like one — something I try to work into my spare time as I often as I can.
The more I walk, the more I want to. Its effects feel cumulative. Sometimes, I start to feel them before I’ve even left the house. My mood lifts and my energy heightens just from knowing that I’m about to be outside, that I’m most likely going to see something beautiful, and that I’m definitely going to feel lighter after having been sat at a desk all day.
Although I try to mix it up, I am a creature of habit and love repeating the same route regularly. This time of year, it’s particularly rewarding to stick to a well-practiced route. There are so many changes to notice in the landscape from one day to the next. Lately, I’ve been seeing bright, smooth-petaled flowers popping up in clusters on the still-brown grass, tiny cheeping birds, and even, on some very rare and lucky occasions, a bunny or two. Though I’ll sometimes press play on a favourite podcast or choose a playlist, keeping an eye (and ear) out for the newest signs of spring feels pretty special.
In downtown Kingston especially, where I feel like almost all routes lead to the lake, going for a walk can feel almost like magic. With its the quacking ducks, crunchy pebble pathways, and swirling swishing waves hitting the edge of the rocks, the waterfront path is always a good place for a walk. Even on the dreariest of days, there’s something about looking out at the expanse of the lake and the faraway windmills that always shifts my perspective.
So as far as hobbies go, I feel like walking is a pretty great one. It gets me outside, gets my blood flowing, and helps me clear my busy mind. And while even five minutes of walking around the block can feel like a game-changer — especially as the semester clamours to its busy, demanding end — carving out time for an hour-long after or pre-dinner walk has felt like the best way to break up my day and set some much-needed boundaries between school time and home time. With all the sunny days ahead, a nice walk might even just be a great excuse to dust off those spring clothes you’ve been staring at for months. Either way, I’m all for making spring walking season.