Only Walk...

This morning's walking meditation might not have been for everyone. One of the participants, who looked to be a newcomer to the group, had left shortly after the walking meditation, though she didn't specify why. From what I heard from another participant, this particular person was not more interested in sitting meditation alone. Sometimes the act of walking seems so simple, but can people walk without destination in mind?
   Here is an excerpt from a beautiful poem I read recently from Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh, called "Walking Meditation". It begins with the lines, "We will enjoy our walk without thinking of arriving anywhere". Later, it reads:

We learn
that there is no peace walk;
that peace is the walk;
that there is no happiness walk;
that happiness is the walk.
We walk for ourselves.
We walk for everyone
always hand in hand.

Once a person is really on a path in walking, is there a real actual destination? Is there a person who is walking, as opposed to the walk itself?
   I think the metaphor of walking is somehow related to knowing oneself. If I am sitting in a room entertaining all sorts of ideas of my likes, dislikes, "who I am", personal preferences, and so on, can I truly say that this is self-knowledge? On the other hand, when I walk a road for a long time, I literally know what it feels like to step in my very own shoes, which is a prerequisite for doing so with others.   
      Something about my physical engagement in this simple act inspires a whole lot of bodily metaphors related to the ups and downs of life's journey. It's no wonder that perhaps one does their best reflecting while walking. But more importantly, walking can teach me my capacities and limits: when it's time for me to go home, or when I'm tired, or what I truly feel satisfied doing, as well as my temptations. When I stop from my walk in a local book store and see books that arise from my youth, am I tempted to buy these books? Alas, what about the other books in my room that I still haven't read? No, put it back...I am going to go back to walking again. So you see that sometimes the journey tells us more about where we get stuck, as opposed to sitting in an armchair. Embodied thinking and reflection literally adds the body itself to the equation.

References: 

https://plumvillage.org/news/walking-meditation-a-poem-by-thich-nhat-hanh/