Suddenly I came out of my thoughts to notice everything around me 

     again - the catkins on the willows, the lapping of the water, 

     the leafy patterns of the shadows across the path. And then myself, 

     walking with the alignment that only comes after miles, 

     the loose diagonal rhythm of arms swinging in synchronization 

     with legs in a body that felt long and stretched out, 

     almost as sinuous as a snake.

     When you give yourself to places, 

     they give you yourself back. The more you come to know them, 

     the more you seed them with the invisible crop of memories and associations 

     that will be waiting for when you come back, 

     while new places offer up new thoughts, new possibilities. 

     Exploring the world is one the best ways of exploring the mind, 

     and walking travels both terrains.

     ~ Rebecca Solnit Wanderlust: A History of Walking