musings on walking

"There is a road, no simple highway / Between the dawn, and dark of night" ~from "Ripple" on The Grateful Dead's 1970 American Beauty album

"I go walkin', after midnight, out in the moonlight, just like we used to do" ~from "Walkin' After Midnight" by Alan Block and Don Hecht, hit single recorded in 1957 by Patsy Cline

Recently, our daily walking schedule was disrupted by extreme heat and poor air quality from wildfire smoke. As an important part of our routine, we felt its absence. We thought we would take this opportunity to reflect on the significance of walking and some reflections on what it means to us.

Dean stopping for a spiderweb on a walk in the woods

on baby steps

When we feel stuck, sometimes a baby step is what we need to get going. Practicing a song, cleaning out a closet, mowing a lawn, or taking a walk in the cool of a creek: baby steps can help us all to get moving and productive.

Vicki creek walking at Latimore Valley, PA

on mobility

Some of us walk with our feet; some of us don't. When we sing in residential communities, we see many people who lack mobility, but who can dance with their hands or arms or smiles. We recently played in a unit where none of the residents could leave their beds, and some could only move and communicate with their eyes.

Group selfie with residents at assisted living facility

on waiting

Waiting for a few dry minutes to walk during a rainy, windy day near the Delaware Bay, we drove past the largest Free Little Library outpost that we have ever seen. The best surprises sometimes come when the day does not go as planned, and patience is frequently rewarded!

Little Free Library at Broadkill Beach, DE

on story and song

When we sing "Walking After Midnight," we like to share a story that Dad told us about his weekly ukelele class at the senior center. As they were practicing this classic country song, the teacher explained that her granddaughter said, "Grandma, it's not safe to walk after midnight!"

We also love to hear stories from audiences. One 94-year-old woman (named Caroline with a short "i," she made sure to tell us after we sang "Sweet Caroline" with a long "i") sometimes dances with her walker for support. In her younger days, she was a percussionist (she plays air cymbals to our music) and a ballroom dancer (she told us that her husband always wore a tuxedo to dance, and light blue was her favorite gown color).

Dad getting ready for a performance with his ukelele group

on family

A family tradition of ours is to take a walk together. The rhythm of the walk, in step with one family member, then another, allows for ease in conversation and provides simple entertainment: in our family, this is usually pointing out a bird or plant or insect life or pausing to observe nature in some way. At our homestead in PA, in the fall, we might even stop to bowl hedgeapples from the Osage orange trees that line the lane.

A fall family walk in PA

Bowling hedgeapples down the hill

A summertime walk in New York

Happy trails, friends!

~with peace and love,

Vicki & Dean

The Villones