Intuitive Walking Game – Fun!

This was fun, so I thought I’d share – especially during this holiday season when it’s so easy to add on the extra pounds.  Dress accordingly…

I’m a walker.  I’ve never owned a car (although I love to drive) and always find a place to live within an hour’s walk to school or work.  It’s about the only exercise I get apart from some restorative yoga.  I love walking – I get to see lots, think lots, listen to audio-courses, etc.  We all know the benefits.

I also have no problem sitting on my butt all day.  On Friday, I spent all day at school where I hired one of my classmates to tutor me on some Photoshop techniques he had wowed me with.  On Saturday, I watched 6 movies in a row (I recently discovered that you can see full movies for free on YouTube, so I’m catching up…).  On Monday, I spent 13 hours on the computer writing an article for a great inspirational website (my first draft was 2,000 words and the limit was 1,000 – I can be wordy at times… have you noticed?).

So on Sunday, when the sun came out (a rare occurrence during Vienna winters), I just had to get out.  Usually, when I don’t have a destination, I like to play an intuitive game that goes like this:  at every intersection, check which direction feels better and follow through. It’s a great way to explore the world and develop your intuition.

Sunday, however, that didn’t appeal to me.  As I was putting on my boots, three numbers kept popping up in my mind: 6, 8, and 2.  So I tried something new. I walked 6 blocks in a direction I had never walked before, 8 blocks to the left, and 2 blocks to the right.  Perfect!  My intuition brought me to a neighbourhood park where I spent a while sharing a bench with a pigeon and soaking in some Vitamin D.  I felt honoured that he didn’t fly away.  I was sure there would be something at the end for me, no matter what it was.  As a bonus, I got to see all new things along the way, including a farmer’s market.  When I lost my count, I just checked on my smart phone’s map app and got back on track.  As a reward, after my total of 32 blocks (I discovered some blocks in Vienna are super long), I found a store that actually had Lays potato chips – Paprika (to go with another couple of movies on YouTube).

I usually go walking on my own, but I’m sure you could play this with friends – get each one to subsequently tune in and come up with a number and a direction and trust that there will be something there for you at the end, even if it’s a bird on a bench.