One of the best ways to use you senses when walking is to listen to nature with the obvious things like birdsong and rustling leaves springing to mind. However, as I have wandered and explored this more deeply, I have realised that what we hear tells us so much and how our language has evolved accordingly. This led me to explore words used to describe walking and my advice is to read on and perhaps contemplate this when codiwompling sometime……….
We often talk about the sounds of nature and how beautiful they are but I always try to think about how they link to other senses too, what they mean and how they make you feel. Sounds are an integral part of being alive – being an animal! Sounds spark memories, guide you towards or away from things, make you laugh, scare you, enthral you like the sound of a nightjar as it dances above you in the night sky. But, above all, sounds mean you can communicate and be part of the wider world.
Sounds tell you so much about the weather, conditions underfoot, types of trees overhead according to leaf or needle type and even whether they are wet dry, fresh or dying in Autumn.
The sound of water varies due to speed of flow, the steepness of a drop, the river bed or coastal waves, even the drip drip from the trees after rain. Birdsong might be a robin marking his territory, a warning sound or a flirtatious riot – all a vital form of communication essential for survival of a species.
The vulving of a stag, chatter of squirrels or snuffling of a wild pig – every sound has a reason, tells you something and evokes other senses.
We have a sophisticated language and often choose to be silent ourselves when in nature but in essence we are no different in how we use sounds and should understand and celebrate this fact.
For instance, we also use sounds to show joy, amusement and fear plus our words often relate to actual sounds for instance. Close your eyes and let go for a walk …………listen to the following
sploshing puddles, squelching mud, snapping twigs, crunching on stones, ‘squeaking’ of sand on a beach or the silence when you plant your foot on a bed of moss. Each one also evokes a ‘feeling’ and that’s the important thing about combining your senses.
Even when we describe something as simple as a walk our words can conjure up a different vision.
Close your eyes again and let the sounds (or words) conjure images of the walker and where he/she might be……
Using slang words we might take a STROLL, DAWDLE, MOSEY, WANDER, MEANDER, AMBLE or SAUNTER (in Scottish that would be Daunter).
Less appealing walks could be a TRUDGE, WADDLE, TRAIPSE or even the Ancient Cornish for a long walk …. a fair old STANK!
Each of these conjures up a different way to walk or different speed, effort, distance, or purpose for the walk.
Many of the words I used above sounded fairly relaxed and would apply if we were out foraging for food or enjoying nature but if we were to see somebody, we may wish to avoid we could possibly SCURRY or SCUTTLE away (just like a mouse may do from a cat)
There are words also relate to our behaviour when walking
Promenade – a great name for somebody who is walking in their finery – its definition is to take a leisurely public walk, so as to meet or be seen by others. This relates to our need to connect with each other or perhaps parade ourselves to find a mate. In nature that could be the peacock opening his tail feathers or flowers displaying their amazing colours to attract pollinators.
Passiagiata in Italy is a specific type of walk taken in the evening where you connect with your townsfolk at the time of day where work ends and before supper starts – perhaps with an aperitif! I liken this to rooks coming into the rookery after a day in flight or penguins coming in from the sea to dive into the burrows – in both cases they chatter and connect.
So, next time you are in a Forest and listening to the sounds – think about the words you might use for how you are walking and what purpose you want from your time with nature that day. I like to use one of my favourite words… CODIWOMPLE and I would like you all to master the art of CODIWOMPLING …. It means to to travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination – to keep moving forward even when you’re not quite sure where you’re going.
Try it and don’t be afraid to share your voice other people or with the Forest, communicating how you feel is vital and the trees wont judge you because after all they’ve seen us walking every way possible over the years and heard everything we say to each other as we pass by too.
