The Last-Minute Walk Club
Make a plan. Change a plan. Abandon a plan. I don’t know why it’s so hard to get together with friends these days.
And I’m just talking about going for a walk.
Sure, there’s lots of reasons why plans fall through the cracks. You get COVID. Again. It’s raining hail the size of golf balls. Again. You’re just plain exhausted. Again.
It’s enough to make you want to give up — even on walking.
But a walk with a friend is what I often need most, and the fresh air, camaraderie and conversation always makes me feel better.
So why is it so hard to make a walking plan that sticks?
Maybe the pandemic made us forget how to hang out.
Maybe we have too many ways to connect about connecting. Do I send a text? Ping a peep on Insta or Facebook? Or do I — OMG — call and leave a message? It’s just plain ironic that we have so many digital ways to connect but can’t seem to make it happen in person.
Maybe it’s an age thing. Life seemed simpler in my 20s, 30s and 40s: school and work, family and friends, run/walk/yoga/bike, attempt to blog about walking. Repeat.
But then life got busier, and before I knew it, I was hanging on to the caboose of a runaway train called your 50s.
Time sped up. Close friends moved away. Parents got older. Kids in my life scattered across the country. Cars, fridges and washing machines broke down. People and marriages too. Work got more demanding. Disability came knocking.
Life feels so much noisier now, crammed with more memories, more distance, more distractions, more complications, more stuff — all the things that come with being on the right side of the grass.
And I’m grateful.
But I could sure use a little bipedal Zen: a long walk with a good friend.
Back in the day, I was lucky to have a couple of solid walking buddies and our conversations went something like this:
Me: Walkies?
Friend: Yes!
Me: Meet you in 10 minutes.
Friend: Yay!
Fast forward to present day and I want to replicate those qualities we shared — close proximity, motivated to walk regularly, pretty flexible schedules — only this time with a larger group of individuals.
I want to start a walk club. But not just any walk club. I’m calling it The Last-Minute Walk Club.
Now, how?
Here’s what I know: It’s a club in the sense that it’s a group of like-minded people, but also not a club — kind of an un-club in fact — because there are no dues or fees, silly songs, bake sale fundraisers or sitting for two hours on uncomfortable chairs in a stuffy library basement meeting room.
Think Fight Club for walkers but without the fighting. Or soap.
I also know it’s a club made up of a small group of friends and their friends. Don’t get me wrong, I love meeting new people but I love the people I don’t get to see enough, even more. For me, The Last-Minute Walk Club is a way to catch up with them more often.
And finally, I know that making it work is based on the serendipity of buddies who have the same time and motivation to go for a walk paired with a convenient way to connect on short notice.
What I don’t know are the details. How many friends makes a good-sized pool of potential walkers? What’s the easiest way to connect? Is there an ideal distance/time it takes to meet up? Who decides the route? What happens if you need to bail?
Part of the magic is putting this idea out there and seeing where friend groups take it.
So over to you, dear reader/walker.
If you’re someone near or far away who likes walking for leisure, health or active transportation, but finds it difficult to make walking plans that stick, I’d love to hear from you.
How would you create your own Last-Minute Walk Club? Where would you find your people? What technology might you use?
Let’s NOT make a plan.
But please do leave your thoughts and ideas in the comments.
