A Rambling Mindset - JT'S Tales From The Trail, Rambler Cafe

Jill Thomas is a rambler, traveler, and storyteller with a big laugh who believes life takes her where she needs to go, no matter the roundabout path.

Not every walk is a means of propulsion to a destination or a fitness habit.

Some walks are rambles, as are some pedals, paddles, and swims. Even conversations can take on the characteristics of a ramble. For me, rambling means taking notice and making an intentional allowance for tangential explorations.

Rambling is a joy I discovered during the pandemic when a forced slowdown caused a personal epiphany: moving slowly through a landscape promotes pondering, problem-solving, and being in the moment.

My natural default pace is a mad rush with a side of life hacks designed to squeeze more activity into every day. For instance, I brush my teeth in the shower while I condition my hair to bank an extra ten minutes in my morning routine.

Before I started rambling, exercise was a daily chore akin to washing dishes that, given a legitimate excuse, I was happy to skip.

Now, I look forward to my rambles and resist intrusions into the time I carve out for this pursuit. The best days are when I can ramble for hours without a deadline. An added bonus is that I feel fitter than I have in a long time.

This is because rambling can also be a workout. I often seek hills or push hard for a few minutes to elevate my heart rate during my walks or stop to do a squat or stretch. Fitness is, of course, crucial to our well-being.

It is not important how one chooses to ramble. The key thing to understand about rambling is that it is more of a mindset than an activity.

When you ramble, your curiosity determines your route. You might stop to explore a market, taste-test a taco truck, or watch a mother loon teach her babies to swim. The goal is to relish in the details of the landscape you're moving through and, in doing so, facilitate the roaming of your mind alongside your body.

For me, rambling feels like a mini adventure that sparks my curiosity and creativity. When I pay close attention to the details of my surroundings, I don't have to travel far to find new things.

Here are some ideas for nurturing a rambling mindset.

Follow Your Nose

Take notice of scents like home cooking, plant life, bodies of water, even sewage, smoke, and garbage. The smell of waste mixed with diesel and fragrant street food reminds me of fun times in Thailand and India.

Choose a Theme

Choose a theme for your ramble, such as colors, street art, unusual plants, flowers, or interesting architectural details. One of our fellow Sole Sisters, Jane Chapman, strives to integrate her fashion with street art while she rambles.

Searching for cool pictures of your chosen theme may help you remain mindful of your surroundings.

Embrace the Elements

Rain, fog, snow, and even thunder add novelty to rambles. A friend and I once rambled in a Florida thunderstorm. We laughed, shrieked, released our worries, and arrived home soaked to the bone. I'm not proposing you ramble into a tornado. Still, remember that you're not made of sugar and won't dissolve if you get wet or dirty.

Search for Novelty

Searching for novelty in familiar landscapes sparks the imagination. Discovering and delighting in things you've missed the hundreds of times you traveled a route expands one's capacity for wonder, so get out there and search for #trailmagic.

Focus on Sound

Listen for interesting snippets of conversation in busy urban streets, the sound of wind whipping through trees, the shuffle of tall grass in a breeze, or the buzzing of birds and insects. Or simply stop, stretch, close your eyes, and absorb the sounds around you.

Random Explorations

Let happy accidents be your guide. Be a pedestrian with a detective's nose. Make direction choices a game of chance. If you live in a big city, take a bus to a transit stop you've never been to and then get off and ramble with no destination in mind.

Share your ideas for being in the rambling mindset in the comments below!