By Heidi Weaver
The dictionary definition of “a walk in the park” is “something that is easy to do.” So why did I build this activity up in my mind as a big, time-consuming commitment? By way of context, there is a beautiful, green, shady park in my neighborhood that I always say I will go to, but hardly ever do. This is silly seeing as I live so close to this park that when live bands play there on hot summer nights, I can hear the music from my front porch. I even end up walking past it on my way to practically everywhere else in the neighborhood. When I do, I usually turn my head and gaze off longingly in the direction of the people enjoying themselves. There they are mere feet away, doing blissful park things like picnicking on a blanket, balancing on a tree tightrope, throwing a frisbee, pushing a toddler on a swing, or laying on the grass doing absolutely nothing. Watching these fortunate park souls, I always think to myself, one of these days I really need to carve out some time to go to the park.
Well, it turns out going to the park doesn’t need to be all crazy-compartmentalized like that. The other day when I was on my way to pick up Thai food in the neighborhood, instead of taking my usual route and walking on the sidewalk that runs adjacent to the park, I suddenly changed direction and walked through the park. With that slight course correction, I found myself in the neighborhood park that I had been depriving myself of all this time (because who has the time?), a few feet off the hard cement and on the earthy landscape. Instantly, I felt the temperature drop under the breezy shade of the trees. I smelled soil, coconut sunscreen, and freshly-cut grass. The birds glided, the leaves kicked up at my feet, the dogs panted, and I was now, very simply, a part of it all instead of a bitter bystander. I can’t even describe the joyful epiphany I experienced in that moment. Seems I didn’t need to block out a big chunk of time in my day to go to the park. I could experience the park simply by walking in it instead of alongside it. It was as if the park voices had called, “Come on in, the water is fine!”, and I had finally listened.
In The Power of Parks to Promote Health, A Special Report (May 2023), Dr. Howard Frumkin is quoted as saying, “If we had a medicine that delivers as many benefits as parks, we would all be taking it. Parks deliver cardiovascular benefits, fight loneliness, combat osteoporosis, counter stress anxiety, and more. And they do those things without adverse side effects and at minimal costs.” And in a minimal amount of time, as it happens, if that’s all your busy schedule allows. What I found out is there’s no reason to have an all-or-nothing attitude to an activity like going to the park. If all you have is a minute to enjoy something, go ahead and take that minute. Even just a short walk in the park, however that looks for you, can be easy, breezy, and so beneficial.