TRAVEL

I Connected With You When I Tread in Your Footsteps

This article is not about the Reservoir. It’s bigger than that.

Maybe you were there? (credit: author)

I walk everywhere. I once heard someone say that ‘Walking is a privilege’. To be able to use my two legs to take me anywhere is a privilege indeed, and I try to keep myself in tip-top shape so I can continue to see the world, unrestrained and unlimited.

I’ve spent hours on NYC sidewalks trying to dodge dog poop (C’mon, dog owners, I swear it’s getting worse in the city), but walking around the Reservoir in NYC recently made me realize something fundamental.

If you’re like me, you’re probably not thinking about the act of putting one foot in front of another. You’re probably lost in thought, replaying a text conversation with a friend that didn't go well, wondering when the next season of The Diplomat will be coming out, or angry about the milk that you forgot to buy (again).

But being mindful helped me realize something intriguing, and grounded me more than ever before.

Built in the mid-1800s, the Reservoir is located on the Upper East side of Manhattan, roughly in the center of Central Park. Regardless of whether you’re a casual walker or a marathon trainee, it’s hard to resist its 1.58m running track around the…