Walking in the Rain

by Department Store for the Mind

Getting lost and feeling found...'I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.' - John Muir, John of the MountainsWalking is medicine for the mind. It helps us slow down and think things through. It also helps us perk up and generate new ideas. There are few activities as readily available and revitalizing as a brisk walk, or as soothing and stimulating as a long walk. Wonderful things can happen when we set out on two feet.Within these pages, you will find stories from artists, designers, writers, psychologists and speakers who are inspired by the effect of pacing outdoors. You will hear of walks in the city, hikes through woods at dawn and epic adventures involving long journeys on foot. No matter the scale of the tale, the writer offers lessons they learned of a simple, human nature that we can all understand.In each chapter you will discover suggestions and ideas about how to create simple daily habits from the writer's thinking. In a world where so much of the noise around us suggests we are not good enough as we are, and that we must seek to change, these accounts try to do something different. They aim instead to invite a stroll into the complex pathways of the mind to discover the beauty of our own quirky individuality.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help

193 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 19, 2017

Reviews

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the different opinions of walkers taking different journeys within their minds. Enlightening and has motivated to walk more!

[Magda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Note to self: never judge a book by its cover with a cute duck in boots.

This was possibly one of the most boring books I’ve read in my life and I am sad it was the first I committed to in the new year. It is full of self-indulged ramblings of middle class people - all of them in desperate need of either heavy editing or hiding in a drawer, and 3/4 of them absolutely irrelevant to an average reader. I do not seek to go on a pilgrimage, find a bunch of strangers to walk with, go to Indonesia to climb a mountain, or quit my job to be able to walk and pursue a career in art or set up my own business focused on telling other people how to walk. At the same time, the chapters that were relevant did not bring anything interesting into the mix. In fact, they drove me insane with how they overused the word ‘anxiety’ to describe simple stress at work (those are not synonyms), or suggested I should walk through London and take nice deep breaths of exhaust fumes (the sheer thought of which made me want to simultaneously vomit and stop breathing altogether). Last but not least, once I got to the list of references consisting mainly of online news articles, I instantly proceeded to remove the book from my Kindle library.

[Kate Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

After recently being diagnosed with anxiety disorder I have discovering a love of walking. I thought this audiobook would be perfect to listen to while on one of my walks. It was ok, but I’m still not quite sure what the overall point to this is.

[Cyndi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like any book of essays, some were better than others. Overall though, I thought it was well worth the time it took to read it.

[NOR NADIA · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 STAR
This book is a collection of stories from different people about what walking meant to them. A story of walking that brings life into a landscape for people with visual impairment. And also a walk that connects the missing dots between a mother and her son. There are also some that walk to match the rhythm of their soles to the rhythm of anxiety as it turns out that a walk is an antidote. Or perhaps a journey of finding oneself in the chaos of urban life and converse with nature while putting one foot in front of another. All stories are beautiful and mesmerized me with how something as simple as walking, no big cash or plenty of free time or nice outfit is required yet be so meaningful and impactful. This book is very thoughtfully written and I’m grateful to discover these beautiful things that can happen the moment you get up and find your own unique pace.
An incredible book for healing and to look on the brighter side of something.

[Augustus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspiring.
But because the stories are from a wide variety of people, for some of them I did't feel any connection.

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really recomended read. It is devided in 10 chapters, each chapter written by a different author, that gives insights of how walking has changed their mind, pov, or helped them somehow.

[Erica Kushner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the artwork throughout the book! The layout is beautifully designed and the stories written inside captivate the reader to want to go for a walk!

[Jacqueline McNeil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, handy essays full of thought provoking and incredibly achievable ideas to bring more mindfulness into your day by doing something most of us do anyway.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastic ideas to include in the day-to-day.

[Joyce]

This book was easy to read with each chapter starting with a personal story, and closing with suggestions on how one could embark on a similar journey to find peace, equanimity, and love for oneself, and the world at large.