Thinking with the Feet
Movement and Philosophy
When the prose turns stagnant, the desk becomes a cage. I have learned over the years that my mind has a specific “operating speed,” and it is often synchronized with the pace of my walking.
There is a long tradition of “peripatetic” thinkers—those who believe that the act of putting one foot in front of the other unspools the knots in the brain. Today, I left a difficult paragraph behind and walked the perimeter of the park. By the time I returned, the rhythm of my gait had provided the rhythm for the sentence I was missing. Motion is the antidote to the static mind.
The Monroe Minute
Walk for fifteen minutes today without headphones or distractions. Let your thoughts pace themselves to your steps.
I don't write to idealize love,
but to explore it honestly,
with emotional precision and depth.