The Culture of Walking and Interviews Related to Anthony Trollope

Journal Entry: Weight = 176.6; Coinage = $.63; Glass bottles = 3; Ground Scores = 4; Bad experiences = 1, a Burger King window warden copped an attitude with the MoneyWalker. I guess the ventrial striatum has a mean streak. Makes me wonder if all that "dropped" change is accidental?

Feature Entry: I admit it, this blog started as a fitness blog with walking as the exercise medium of choice. It has migrated to a “culture of walking” blog with fitness and nutrition as a component but not sole focus. The MoneyWalker belongs to an on-line group that systematically reads and discusses the full 47 novel canon of Anthony Trollope. Trollope’s life-like characters were often portrayed as active walkers. We are currently reading _The Claverings and my self-assigned tasks is to report how, when, where, and why his characters walk.

One member asked today if I collect novels and other literature that feature walkers and the culture of walking. Another asked if money walking was as effective as scenery and other outdoor delights in terms of maintaining the motivation for walking. My two responses follow.

Culture of Walking and Literature:

Jan: “Bobby, do you seek out/collect literature on walking?”

Bobby: “Jan, concerning collecting literature on walking, in the sense that you collect literature on people that write about trains, I am just beginning to examine the literature that is available specifically devoted to what I am now calling "the culture of walking." Although not aware of specific cases, I am certain that this term has been used by others. For me, while reading a Brookner novel, _Lewis Percy_, I noted that her books all utilize walking as a coping strategy for her protagonists. In an attempt to define the phenomenon, the expression "culture of walking" came to mind. In fact the recent walking list posted on this group came from cataloging all the ways and reasons that Lewis Percy walks.

I do have a modest collection of books that specifically address walking. Jordan Rubin's _Perfect Weight_ relies heavily on walking an exercise partner for obtaining and developing the perfect weight. Harry J. Johnson, M.D. has _Creative Walking for Physical Fitness. Similarly, John Pleas has _Walking_, a guide to walking. Both are books about walking as exercise. Of course there are endless books for hikers.

However, none of these books capture the essence of the culture of walking. I will want to be more vigilant for works of this type. If Mary, Shirley or others know of such books, I am in your gratitude for their names.”

Walking and Motivation:

Jill: ”Overland Park (although rather boringly white bread) is blessed with wonderful places for walking -- formal paths, paths in office parks, a lovely arboretum, little paths in little parks, and, trees, trees, wonderful trees. Walking is one of the joys of my life. The older I get, the more I regard it as a positive blessing. I am going to have to try "money walking," although I wonder whether this might interfere with my love affair with our Gorgeous Trees --
stunning in every season. What say you, Bobby?”

Bobby: “Jill, the purpose of my walks is to maintain a healthy BMI (body mass index). Inherently, I find walking boring. I walk about 300 days a year, mostly from my house in mid-city New Orleans. After dozens of walks, the neighborhood becomes overly familiar and lacks stimulation. In my blog, the issue of motivation is frequently mentioned. In part by accident and in part by the influence of a friend that is a leading neural psychologist that is also a money walker, I began to search for dropped coins along my walking routes. It is amazing how much money people leave on the ground and in other "money spots."

Any walkers out there that knows of literary sources that feature the "culture of walking?"

Note, The Moneywalkers will be treking the curbs and byways of Oxford, Mississippi during the following few days.

MoneyWalker