During the Covid 19 restriction period I became keenly aware of my vulnerable friends inability to get out of the house. For some this was because of compromised health, for others it was a sense of crippling anxiety and for some it was because their care-homes had been locked down. It was this revelation that brought home to me the blessing of walking.

I live in the Dandenong Ranges and am surrounded by reserves and parklands and large gardens. I have a son doing remote learning and a daughter doing remote kinder, this experience has driven me to leave the house for an hour to just walk and be alone. I am also struggling, as many people are, with employment uncertainty and income insecurity. This is the current reality for many though.

I began walking during winter and so the glimpse of a flower was rare, so I began to photograph them. When I posted them to social media it brought responses from my isolated friends trying to name them or just appreciating that someone was walking for them. Suddenly my time and space had a greater meaning.

This meant I was challenged to walk different paths, with eyes open and very much present in what I was doing.

I posted my intent to walk share my walks to bring a sense of joy to those who could not walk themselves. While this was appreciated by a number of my friends at the time, I have noticed a dramatic uptick in the number of people who are doing the same thing. Walking with the intent to find and photograph flowers and share them.

This experience has deepend my discipline of walking, but also my mindfulness and connection to community.