THE POWER OF A LONG WALK BY MADELYN JETT

When I was younger, I used to be a writer. I even thought I might be an author one day. But as I prepare to enter corporate America, the lesson I learned as a writer still stands: long walks are the most powerful ideation tool in my wheelhouse.

I used to take walks for the hell of it. I would walk miles from home into town, through forests and busy streets. When I didn’t feel like walking, a bike ride would do the trick. It was like the stories would reveal themselves to me one word with every step. I would find sentences on the ground and file them away, and trip over metaphors in the sidewalk cracks.

I don’t take walks anymore. Sure, I walk to class. I go for runs when I feel fat. But I can’t remember the last time I took a walk just to take one--an expedition with no destination.

I think I’ll do that today.