Hall Walking

Mall walking. Remember that? It was all about creative problem solving — taking to a covered space where you could enjoy a bit of exercise when the weather was dodgy. Well, enter my 21st-century version — hall walking! Trust me, it’s an adequate alternative when going out into the wider world is, unfortunately, beyond dodgy.

However “pedestrian” (ahem) hall walking may seem, lacking the visual pleasure of watching passersby and eyeing window displays, consider this: Even a cluttered corridor is climate-controlled (like the mall). And, it offers opportunities for stretching one’s legs (as long as you avoid tripping over your stuff). Now, isn’t that the point? To move, to enjoy the sensation of moving, to up your heart rate, to modulate your breathing, and even if stuck in Covid captivity — to feel more alive?

Clearly, the indoor passageway cannot compete with an energized turn in the neighborhood or nearby park! And nor does it submit the senses to the sweetness of a cool breeze, the heady scent of a boxwood hedge, or the tactile delight of running your fingers along a worn brick wall. Yes, that wall where you park your derrière for a moment, give in to fatigue, and remind yourself that you really ought to be exercising more often. And yet…

Twenty minutes up and down thirty paces of skinny space beats staring out the window and sighing, scrolling through snippets of news while perched in bed, or opening and closing the fridge every hour. Moreover, cocking your head to the left and upward? A brief view of line drawings. To the right as you approach a rack of clothes where you are required to smartly about-face? A vibrant oil in crimson and cobalt that makes you smile; a self-portrait done by one of your sons in high school. Once headed back to where you began? Oh, what a sight! A glorious abstract in soft blues and beiges and grays, its impasto at least as inviting to the hand as the 19th-century brick facades a few blocks away.

Hall walking, however dull it can (and does) become, is about insisting on positive behaviors to combat the tidal wave of negative news. And these days it’s more or less the only exercise I can get. Correction: This is the only exercise I feel comfortable getting.

Obvious options? Sure. Sunrise strolls up and down the street, mask on, and avoiding any contact with other walkers of like mind. (I tried that twice, crossing the road repeatedly to stay socially distant, but anxious the entire time. During the most recent outing, of 11 people encountered, several too close, only two wore masks. I know, I know, it’s outdoors. It’s far less risk, but still unnerving.)

Other forms of solo indoor activity? Let’s see… There’s staring out the window of course, as mentioned, wishing you saw more masks on the twenty-somethings strolling by in groups. (No calories burned staring and scowling.) There’s pondering fries and wishing you could have them delivered. (Only a single-digit “non-zero” burn rate if you pace while you ponder.) There’s working up a sweat with your two favorite men, Ben & Jerry, a daily indulgence by yours truly during the first two months of quarantine (courtesy of Amazon, and I’m still trying to make up for those excesses). There was an attempt to engage in stretching and low-risk fitness courtesy of YouTube videos — don’t we all know the benefits of stretching? — but my back rebelled, so hall walking is the best I can do.

Now, normally I would be visiting a small fitness area at a nearby wellness center once or twice a week, focused on building strength and stamina around my pesky old orthopedic injuries. Normally, I would otherwise be busy at my laptop working remotely in much the way I’ve earned my keep for nearly two decades. Unfortunately, the fitness center is out of the question. And laptop life?

When you provide services to organizations that are now struggling and have reduced their workforce, you realize how many of us are a few degrees of separation away from “essential,” and possibly Kevin Bacon as well.

Meanwhile, hall walking delivers untold benefits and meaningful views. The very act of rhythmically moving my legs and arms is meditative and invigorating, picking up the pace from shuffle to saunter to stride. Memories of childhood are sparked by a trio of antique engravings that once hung in my mother’s home. Memories of my children are triggered as I pass my younger son’s painting, smiling as I try not to dwell on how much I miss both of my children, how long it has been since I have seen them (Christmas, last year), how unlikely it is that I will see them in the flesh for at least another six months, and how furious I am that we in the U.S. have fallen so far and screwed up so badly as a nation.

To have lost so many lives unnecessarily, to have burdened countless others with long-term illness, to have driven so many more families into poverty — all of it, unconscionable. Obscene, really. And devastating in its own way, to have nudged so many of us into the emotional and sensory desert where I find myself now — yearning to hear a soft voice next to me, yearning to have my hand touched or my cheek kissed, yearning to have an arm wrapped around my shoulders in embrace, hungering simply to sit across from my sons at the kitchen table and laugh, listen, love.

And so we make do, don’t we? However cliché, we count our blessings. These notions of making do and activating appreciation are a must, especially timely in this holiday season but never more critical to survival of the spirit.

For now, I choose calm, hopefulness, playfulness even — to the extent that I can find it in myself, my books, my artwork lining the walls, my friendships secured by old-school phone calls or video visits, and the reassuring texts I receive from my sons. I choose to express appreciation to those essential workers with whom I come into indirect contact (through a glass door or from a stoop 10 feet away) — voicing a thank you or leaving a note. I choose any and all harm-free creative solutions to help deal with the challenges of these extraordinary times. And hall walking is a perfectly reasonable (temporary) tool to topple frustration, fight against the indignities of inertia, and finally (I hope?) to send Mr. Ben and Mr. Jerry packing. Oh, but those fries… I’m still pondering.

And you? Are you an essential worker? How are you managing? Are you caring for family? Whatever your working status, if you’re “at-risk” according to the experts, do you go out? Who do you see? Who do you miss? Are you planning to Zoom the holidays? What are you doing to manage stress or anxiety?

 

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