Why You Shouldn't Become an Indoor Sitter

Dearest reader,

Tove Jansson wrote in her book Mooninland Midwinter that:

"Believe me: there's nothing more dangerous in life than becoming an indoor sitter".

I came across this quote not long ago on a typically dark, but no means depressing, January evening and thought it perfectly summed up my intetions to go on more walks this year. I am not sure where this urge to walk more came from, but perhaps, I sensed that there was indeed something suspicious about my habbit of staying in for days on end.

Ever since this decition, I have been trying to pin down what it is that make walks so vitalising and here are two of my imperfect thoughts on the matter:

Thought 1

"Out in nature there is metaforically and literally more head space, as if your mind could expand around every corner of the earth, and then, complitely out of the blue, you feel enormously curious. Suddenly, there is a need to inspect bird's nests, sniff tree branches, study rocks and collect leaves. And after a while, you feel like you should embark on a journey to finding your spirit animal because suddenly your being feels like it could relate to another creature and that you could learn a great deal from it."

Thought 2

"Here is rather intersting and liberating prospect related to walks: the prospect of running. In some historical movies and books, children, especially girls, were sometimes not encouraged to run since it was not "proper" for a lady to do so. Remembering this, I tired to imagine being out and feeling cheerful, in other words, ready for a run or a jump but unable to do so because it was outside of "good manners". This was a saddening thought, being declined of runing, and for that reason I started to appreciate the current day a little bit more, because I could run whenever it suits me."

Therefore, I feel like, when Tove wrote that becoming an indoor sitter is dangerous she also finnished my recent, somewhat inconsistent stream of thought about curiosity and running. I might have pondered on the wonders of walks for months, years even, without discovering this simple wisdom, carefully placed within the pages of a children's book.

Of course, what Tove wrote might have had a different meaning to her, but how I understand it, mirroring to my own thoughts, is that sitting inside can imprison you. It can slowly wither your ability of expression and freedom of movement. And it can certainly shrink your world.

So I am going on more walks this year because, after all, I don't want to shrink my world.

Outfit Notes:

Do you enjoy going on walks?

Yours truly,