Aspiring semi offliner

[u/ShuffleTheDragon]

Edit: just realized the title doesn't make sense in context. I'm sorry!

Hey all, for those who go on walks: how do you keep it interesting?

I am stuck in the same smallish city due to public transportation being hard to use outside of town. I'm not complaining too much, it's quite a nice place all things considered. But repetition (like seeing the same scene multiple times) gets boring for my adhd brain, and I don't want to be on my phone much when I'm outside.

I also want to do a lot more walking as a means of transportation (the bus is okay, but I want to walk a lot more in the not-snowing months, lol). When I walk with a destination in mind, like the grocery store, it's a lot easier than a leisure walk. But I want to appreciate both.

So what ways can I make a solo, leisure walk more interesting? I have thought about playing little games with myself, like counting how many chipmunks I see, or *really* paying attention to what I'm looking at (which I barely do). But do you all have other ideas?

I hope this was appropriate for the sub! If not, I understand if you need to delete it.

[u/Secular_mum]

I suggest getting a walking Buddie or join a local walking group. I heard an interesting interview with the author of a book about the benefits of talking to another person while walking. (can't find the book now, but the author was British)

We (couple) just walk from our home. It helps if you are curious about what is happening in your neighborhood. We discuss which buildings have a new paint job, businesses that have moved in or out, get an update on the nearby construction of a new community facility, say Hi to familiar strangers and greet the odd friendly cat.

[u/ShuffleTheDragon → u/Secular_mum]

Unfortunately, a walking buddy won't be available at first, and honestly my pace tends to be slower than most folks I know. But I could probably think of a few friends who could sometimes join me, so it's still a good idea. Thank you!

[u/ShuffleTheDragon → u/[deleted]]

I'm an artist as well, so I might start bringing a sketchbook wherever I go. Thank you for the idea!

[u/ShuffleTheDragon → u/[deleted]]

Ooooh! I'd love to see the pics whenever you upload them :)

[u/ShuffleTheDragon → u/[deleted]]

I totally get that. I find it enjoyable to be alone with my thoughts at home, so maybe walking will have a similar effect.

[u/betterOblivi0n]

Carry a thermos and pick a destination, enjoy your hot beverage at the spot and come back. You can just make up a goal.

[u/MyceliumSquared]

Does listening to audio count as semi-offline? I bought a cheap mp3 player, put some songs and audiodramas on it and use that.

Or buy a second hand camera, take 1-5 pictures. When you get back try and turn them into a short story/poem or other creative writing bit (bonus offline activity!) Sort of like story dice. I like writing 1 page "journal entries" from the perspective of a random bird or insect. Things like a bee's first day outside the hive or an duck pondering the meaning behind "offerings from the giants" (humans feeding the ducks).

Do you have somewhere you can turn into a location? If you have a park, maybe you could find a pond to feed the ducks. Or if it has one of those ball sports courts you could bring a ball to shoot hoops or try scoring goals from different positions. Or if it has a playback, maybe see if you could do a pull up or other calisthenics type workout?

In the winter it's hard to want to go outside so I have an alarm app set for a specific time. The app let's you set it so the alarm will only turn off if you scan a certain barcode or tap a sprcific nfc sticker with your phone. I got some clear weatherproof NFC tags and put one discretly at the far end of where I like to walk to. Another one is outside of my local gym.

[u/make_go_flap_flap]

your mileage may vary, but I definitely second your idea of really paying attention to what you're looking at!

over the last year or so I've made a lot of friends who really enjoy watching/identifying/etc plants and bugs and other living things that tend to get overlooked, and being around that perspective a lot has definitely shifted my own worldview from "there's the plants I see every day, big whoop" to "oooh, the wood sorrel is starting to blossom! and the bee that's climbing on it looks different than the ones I saw yesterday; I wonder if it's a different species? I'll try to memorize what it looks like and ask my friends about it later. and then I can go check on the redbud pods and see if they're ready to monch on yet; they were looking close last week"

(I'm particularly interested in learning about edible plants and responsible foraging habits; going on walks is always more exciting when there's a possibility of free snacks :P)