Why I love walking to school with my son

Every day we get out.  Whatever the weather, through our neighbourhood, into the great outdoors.

Every day brings new insights.  About goings-on with our neighbours, about the beauty of a morning moment, about what our mood for day brings.

Every day allows us to witness change.  A few more leaves off of the trees, the baby now turned into a toddler, the next stage of a house reno. 

Every day brings connection with friends. How are they feeling, what is going on today, or even just a shared giggle on the go. 

And every day brings movement.  Sometimes fast while we run behind schedule, sometimes an amble, especially on a Friday, sometimes winding as we aim for every puddle. 

All of these and more bring me joy each day.  It is nice to connect, even just via a smile, with people of all ages and phases of life.  The older population, caring for their yards on an almost daily basis. The parents of older children who do a quick drop-off and turn around to head off to work.  The parents of younger children who stay to chat.  The women chatting and walking for exercise, the dirty jeep that pulls out promptly as the bus pulls up.  The other students who leave a few minutes before we meet up with our friends. 

My day feels like it has structure through these walks.  I feel like I know who lives around me, and have a small story crafted  for most homes we walk by.  A small interaction to file away, a deeper friendship to smile about as I walk past.  I can only imagine and hope that the same goes for my son.  On the way to school we tend to visit with our fellow walkers, on the way back we tend to chat about the morning and about the things we notice as we go past. 

The biggest advantage, though, is that I find that my children tend to open up more as they move around.  There is something about walking and moving that fosters a loosening of their tongues as well, and I find that some of our best questions and discussions come while we are walking back and forth.  The questions about spirituality, birth and death, the whys of injustice.  And sometimes it is just the sheer joy of being a human, moving in the way our bodies were meant to do, in the great outdoors.