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Buffer Time

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Gabe Roberts

I started walking to school about a year ago. Since then, I feel like I've been more awake in class, more ready to work, and have gotten better grades. I feel energized after my morning walk and have gotten to know my neighbors and those that live near me better. Arriving at school a little sweaty is a small price to pay for the benefits I feel.

What about walking is so good? Firstly, it's a low-impact physical activity, which means anyone can do it. Studies have long shown that exercise is beneficial for your brain. The American Psychological Association found in a 2014 experiment that subjects who walked scored higher on creativity tests than those who sat. Taking a stroll is also surprisingly good for your body. 

Renae Roberts, a P3 teacher at Dalat, frequently walks with her family and has started the "Walking Club" KIC (Kids' Interest Club) for elementary students to come walk with her. "I heard a quote from a doctor once," she said when asked about the benefits of walking. "He said that 'If I tell everyone that there's a pill that can make you sleep better, lower risk of heart disease, and destress you, then everyone would take it.' But merely by walking 30 minutes a day, you can reap all of these benefits."
           
On a more philosophical level, walking helps me with my mindset and attitude. Instead of driving to school, which takes all of five minutes from where I live, walking allows me to pace out my day better. Instead of feeling like I've just jumped from one thing to another with no break in between, walking is a buffer period where I can relax and get ready for what I'm going to do next. The short amount of time I'd spend in a car wouldn't be enough for me.

Having that reset time from walking also helps me focus on the outside world. With this year's school theme being "Focus," it's a conventional interpretation for people to think that it means to focus on assignments and the work you have to do. I think it means more, though. While focusing "down" on work is good, focusing "out" – seeing the world outside and the people inside of it – might be even better. Rather than driving from one place to another, merely hopping from one bubble to another, realize that the world is more than the bubbles you inhabit. It's easy to get stuck in the various places you frequent and forget about what's in between the places you stop. There's a whole island in the in-betweens, so walk around and see it.

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