Finding Our Footing

The revealing journey in “A Walking Life”, a book by Antonia Malchik

B. Lorraine Smith
6 min readAug 15, 2022
The urban path I walked this morning where I thought about writing this piece.

A walk in the park: more than a walk in the park

I thought Antonia Malchik’s book, A Walking Life would be a nice light read — a walk in the park, if you will. I was wrong. Or rather, I was reminded that a walk in the park is actually a profound, important, and often overlooked element of our humanity.

Walking merits deep reflection. Not only is it critical to our shared past, it offers signposts to better pathways ahead.

Our abilities and possibilities related to walking connect to so many of the major challenges we face as a society today — from addressing climate change to healing intergenerational trauma, from human health and wellness to crime reduction and safety.

Walk alongside

Reading this book, I felt as if the author was speaking directly to me, clarifying what I’ve been sensing for a while. Her research, data and anecdotes explained my own habit of wandering — carless — through urban landscapes near and far. And it helped me understand why I feel so uneasy traveling along roads in a motorized vehicle.

I’ve written about my dreams of better roads and paths before. I’ve also shared a bit about…

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B. Lorraine Smith

Former sustainability consultant replacing ESG with reality-based insights about corporate purpose and impact. https://www.blorrainesmith.com/