karma police

on evening walks

The pandemic cocktail contains its fair share of anxieties, insecurities, and worries, but over the last year, I managed to find a special ingredient to soothe it over – long evening walks. I’ve been on countless evening walks over the past year, and they’ve repaid me generously – in stronger bonds with my friends, and in a clearer headspace.

Over time, I’ve tried to hone in on the art of the perfect evening walk. There are a few crucial rules – they have to be timed right around sunset, you have to invite one friend, all “serious” topics like school, college applications, or projects are off-limits, and we have to walk in a slow, ambling pace, not a hurried, exercise pace.

There’s something about the sunset – about plunging into the hues of deep violet, orange and lavender with those you love. On these walks, I’ve learned about childhood anecdotes and present day passions. Sometimes the conversation leads us to exciting places – I’ve discussed on walks the explosion of k-pop, the future of chess in India, and how the NBA draft system works.

Look, the pandemic has been tough, but the one consistent societal message we’ve received is to lean into the ones we love. In situations like the ones we’ve just experienced, love and laughter can feel like rebellion.

In her spoken word poem, “The Hill we Climb”, Amanda Gorman writes, “So while once we asked, how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe? Now we assert, how could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?”.

Evening walks mean so, so much to me because they have been the strongest evidence of this assertion. They have been the most tangible assurance that I will heal, that I will make it out of the pandemic and that I will prevail.