#2: The Rage Walk
44 Things That Spark Joy a.k.a. Sh*t That Makes Me Happy:
#2: The Rage Walk
I decided in my 44th year and in light of the fact that we are all (still) looking for things to spark joy in our lives to gather 44 things I’ve found along the way this past year and share them.
The “Rage Walk” started as a joke between my sister Brenda and I months ago during quarantine. At some point, one of us was frustrated (or maybe both of us at the same time on the same day) with our life/lives and we just went out the front door and started doing laps around our neighborhood or property. Bound and determined to feel better, we just lapped around and around and around. After this occurred a few times for each of us, we labeled it the “Rage Walk.” We then started to call each other during our walks and used the time to catch up with one another. Then we looped in our other sister Nancy on our group text thread – anyone around for a chat while I rage walk? Next, we started having our Fitbits track the walk and sharing the little maps with one another. How far did you go today? How many laps did you make around? Did you wear a hole in the ground doing it?
Around the same time period (when I was ironically on a walk with two of my local mom friends) one mentioned another friend of hers that just couldn’t stand to be in her house with her family any longer one day. The friend went out the front door with no shoes, no plan and called my friend from her front porch. Now that’s rage. Unable to walk too far without shoes, she just vented from her porch but it sounded like it served the same purpose as the rage walk. It was a chance to decompress, have a change of scenery and breathe.
I feel like during Covid we’ve all had to break free of the confines of our homes at one time or another. Maybe it was an escape to the grocery store or to grab takeout because the thought of cooking another meal at home was just too damn much. But the rules of quarantine often limited our options and our ability to go too far. Since Covid shut down so many things including our gyms, many of us gave up or paused our gym memberships. We felt not only trapped at home but we also physically felt bad because we weren’t being active or out in the world at all for so long. It took a toll on all of us.
I have noticed so many people that have been walking outside in the last year. I myself have been a lifelong walker. I have scoliosis and it does not allow me to be a runner. My skeleton is too crooked and running wreaks havoc on my bones so instead I walk. I even went so far in high school to avoid the pain of running the mile by getting a doctor’s note and taking Adaptive PE. (Hey, we got to do Richard Simmons “Sweating to the Oldies” videos and I had never been in such great shape. Thanks Richard!) As much as I would love to have a runner’s physique and enjoy the comradery of that community, it isn’t in the cards for me and I have accepted that. What I love about going for a walk is that most anyone can do it. Fast or slow, young or old, we can all get out there and get the blood pumping even if it’s just for a few minutes. It can be done anywhere, anytime, rain or shine.
The true rage walk serves so many purposes beyond a regular walk. Kids driving you crazy? Rage walk. Too much togetherness with your spouse? Rage walk. Remote schooling overwhelming you? Rage walk. Life just too much? RAGE WALK. I now reference the rage walk to several people in my circle. Yep, time to go out for my rage walk! It’s gotten to be where I rely on it for afternoon stress relief, as a time to think, multi-task, escape, breathe and just be. The great thing is that it doesn’t need to be rage either that you are working through either. It can be any feeling. It could be fear, grief, sadness, worry or anything else. The point is that getting out there helps and when the endorphins kick in then the rest will follow.
I’ve found myself evangelizing and sharing the concept of the “rage walk” to several different people this past week so that’s why I chose to share it at this particular time. During a call with one of our financial advisors, it came up. He said he’s being doing the same during Covid. I told my aunt about it as we were catching up via phone and we laughed about the concept. I also mentioned it to a couple of different friends, my esthetician and even during a doctors visit. I guess it had just been one of those weeks for me where I have needed to get out of the house, every day, without fail, rain or shine but also to share this idea. We also had probably the nicest week in April weather wise that I can ever remember in the 13 years we have lived here and I didn’t want to miss out on that – whatever the reason… I have been walking every day outside around my block without fail for 45 minutes a day.
So get out there and walk people. Trust me, it helps.