Writing About a Walk

Writing about a walk may help you to remember what you have observed while walking when you didn't realize that your perceptions were so actively engaged.  But it can do more:  It can help us to realize how much thinking, remembering, and assessing of our days and lives is a part of practically all of the moments of our day. 

Below are two samples of "writing about a walk" from a recent class.  What do you notice, not only about what the writers notice, but also about the "life" of their active reflection?


Sample One:

It’s Wednesday around 6pm I’m walking to the bus stop from my dad’s house, it’s been raining all day. As I walk to the bus stop in the rain about 5 blocks away I think to myself why didn’t my dad just  drive me home today or maybe drop me off at the bus stop? As I’m walking to the bus stop I pass the same houses I pass everyday but there is always a nice house on the corner on east 34th street that grabs my attention. The house is a huge corner house painted with amazing bright colors and has a beautiful garden in the front of the house. I think the owner must be a very bold person to paint their house such bright colors and must have lots of time to dedicate to a beautiful garden. It’s possibly the owner wants there house to stand out from all the rest on the block. The garden in the front of the house has many nicely colored roses and trimmed bushes by the main entrance. As I pass the house and begin to walk closer to the bus stop were I see the cabs that are always looking for customers on the corner of Flatbush Avenue. There must be around 10 cabs their everyday, the cab drivers sitting in the cabs waiting for customers to arrive. How do the cab drivers make money if there are about 10 cabs in the same location all waiting for customers?

                As I get to the bus stop I stand wondering how long the bus is going to take before it arrives. It could be since it’s been raining all day maybe its slowing down the buses. Or can it be the cabs that’s slowing down the buses and causing traffic on Flatbush Avenue. People begin to arrive at the bus stop its beginning to get crowded but I’m hoping the bus isn’t crowded so I can possibly get a seat. I have waited about 15 minutes before the bus arrived and my commute home is about half hour. When the bus finally arrived it’s wasn’t as crowded as I thought it would be and half hour later I finally arrive at home.

Sample Two:

When I was walking to my car from my house I always see little kids walking to school the same time I go. When I make the walk to my car from my house every day I always see this man waiting outside his house for a van that picks him up for work at the same time every day. I also hear a lot of sirens coming from either police cars or ambulances from Coney Island. When I walk to my car from my house I just feel like I want to go back to bed and sleep because it’s just so early in the morning and I always feel tired. Sometimes when the weather is bad when I walk to my car and it’s either cold or raining and that also makes me not happy and feel like the day is going to be a bad one. Before I leave my house I look outside to see how the weather is to see if it’s raining or sunny so on the rainy days I don’t forget to wear my rain jacket and bring my umbrella. The days that are raining when I walk to my car you see a lot of people running or rushing to their next destination for example you see kids running to school or you see parents walking much quicker to the bus or train so they don’t get wet before there day starts.

I find a spot on the corner of Coney Island ave and ave s. I turn off the ignition then I open my door to my car while I close my door to my car and lock it then I put my car key in my pocket and start walking towards my house. While I walk to my house I pass a certain grocery store on the corner of my house where I know the older man that sits behind the counter so when I pass the store ill wave and say hi on my way to my house. When I walk I always think to myself I wish I had a closer spot from my house so then Ill already be inside and every car I pass that’s closest to my house I say damn wish I had that spot . There’s always this one house that I walk passed when I walk to my house and it always gives me the goose bumps I guess it’s the way the house looks and also the grass is over grown so makes me think is there anyone who lives in this house that takes care of the outside of the house so it gives me that scared feeling but when I pass I won’t even look and I’ll walk faster to my house. When I get 2 houses away from my house I usually take out my house keys to get them ready so I don’t have to waste time taking my key out of my pocket while holding the door so when I have the key ready it saves me couple seconds and makes me more stress free to get inside my house quicker.