The Coronavirus had such a paralyzing effect on our lives in early 2021, never mind the disruption and emotional distress I grew to know and love in 2020. As Covid restrictions eased in the springtime here in England, walking became our new way of life. Public spaces were cautiously reopening, and we were desperate to get out and see new places and faces.
Walking is a large departure from our life before in the suburbs of Orange County, California. There, one stands out horribly if seen making use of the spacious, but often empty sidewalks. This new amount of walking helped me to shed some excess weight, which is always helpful, but I didn’t expect to feel so empowered. Up until then, I felt pretty damn sorry for myself for struggling so much with driving the other side of the road, but walking was simple – one foot in front of the other. I could totally do that.
Ava, who was only six at the time, was not pleased with our new mode of transport. She loved walking, but only for a bit, perhaps on York’s fun city walls, or to wander over to order a chocolate crêpe from the Shambles in town. But being made to walk 1.2 miles from our home to the town center, all around to then explore the city, to then finally face the death march back home was a tall order. She often ended up on the shoulders of Julian, who’s top fear in life is being to subjected dog poop on someone’s else shoes. This all made for a stressful time.
But looking back now, more than a year on, I have developed a kind of super speed as a walker, which I accept as my lame superpower, and Ava can walk just about anywhere happily and even suggests side routes that take longer to see even more. We are incredibly fortunate to be situated where we are and to have such delights accessible in the space of a few miles.
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