Anyone for an amble?

Recently I read the curious essay, "Walking", by Henry David Thoreau (pictured). Early in the piece he writes:

I have met with but one or two persons in the course of my life who understood the art of Walking, that is, of taking walks,--who had a genius, so to speak, for sauntering: which word is beautifully derived from "idle people who roved about the country, in the Middle Ages, and asked charity, under pretence of going a la Sainte Terre," to the Holy Land, till the children exlaimed, "There goes a Sainte-Terrer," a Saunterer, a Holy-Lander.

An article by Iain Bamforth in Quadrant (Dec-Jan edition) questions Thoreau's etymology; nonetheless, it's a great story. Bamforth describes the saunter as "the best way to walk, a slow stately progress in the manner of the camel which, according to Thoreau, is the only other beast able to ruminate and ambulate at the same time."

My two favourtie saunter spots are Kings Park and the beach (almost any one). My walks are slow--the slower the better--though probably not stately. And, I most definitely ruminate as I ambulate.

In fact, walking helps me to think. A walk is a great way to clear a clogged brain first thing in the morning. Praying can also be easier when walking--perhaps it's the grandness of creation, or just being out of a stuffy room, that loosens my tongue to pray. However, I draw the line at reading while walking--it's too dangerous!

So, whether your thoughts need jump-starting, your praying needs improving, or perhaps even your fears need quietening, why not join the saunterers and take a walk.

Tom Waits: The world yelling back at itself?

Have you listened to Tom Waits? If so, what did you think of his music? Recently I've been listening to his album, "Real Gone".

I've identified two types of Waits' songs: those in which he roars and screams in a frenetic and often scary manner; and those which are ballad-like, with Waits crooning lyrics that are engaging and often moving.

Listening to songs in the first category is like listening to a tone-deaf primary school student practising the recorder--very painful. I quickly hit the 'skip' button on the cd player.

The songs in the second category I play over and over. They tell stories that are quirky, fantastic, very ordinary and, sometimes, downright strange. Often Waits reflects on the these stories by posing a question. Take the song "How's it gonna end?", which I've been loving:

He had 3 whole dollars,
a worn out car
And a wife who was leaving for good

Life’s made of trouble,
worry, pain and struggle
She wrote 'good bye' in the dust on the hood

They found a map of Missouri
Lipstick on the glass
They must of left in the middle of the nite

And I want to know the same thing
Everyone wants to know
How's it going to end? (Chorus)

At first, I'd thought Waits' songs could be described as "the world yelling back at itself". But with the 'second category' I've been surprised: Waits' range of delivery is broad and his lyrics astute.