Read Thoreau, walk, & then write essay Read, walk, write essay (due Wed. Dec. 1s

Read Thoreau, walk, & then write essay
Read, walk, write essay (due Wed. Dec. 1st) (but a bit late is OK, as usual).
The first step is to read Henry David Thoreau’s essay “Walking” Read the essay this week. You may want to read it twice a few days apart.
After reading the essay, plan to do the following:
Schedule time to take a 44 minute walk during which you will be undisturbed.
Walk ALONE or with a dog. Turn OFF your cell-phone! DO NOT listen to music! You are doing a “walking meditation.” You’ll only be listening to the sounds of Mother Nature, and also incidental human noises: cars passing by, etc.
Plan to enjoy the walk and to keep your mind free and open to what you see and experience. Don’t stop and talk to people — just walk and let your mind roam.
Your walk can be suburban, urban, rural — it doesn’t matter. If you don’t know how to time a 44 minute walk, do this: walk in one direction for 22 minutes (we all carry cell phones all the time, and you can use yours as a timer!!!) and then turn around and return to your starting place. Remember: DO NOT talk on your cell phone or listen to music during your walk — turn techno-input off!!! You are quietly engaging in discussion with yourself! You are in effect doing a walking meditation. Then write an essay/response of 750 words or so in which you describe the movement of your mind on this walk, and relate this to what Thoreau says in “Walking.” Include concrete details from your walk, but let these flow back into your mind later — don’t “take notes” as you walk. Please make sure to follow instruction as stated above.
Thank you