Meditative Walking the Dog at night
Listen to the audio version of this blogpost here :
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Like many others, I take my dog for a walk every night. It’s more for my good than his. The short walk outside - around the estate where I live - is an opportunity for me to empty my mind & prepare for sleep. The dog loves it.
Almost 3 years ago, in Norfolk, Christian Payne - an Englishman known as "Documentally" - got ready to take his dog out for a walk. For some reason, he recorded what he was doing & shared it with others via Audioboo. This is that (103 seconds) recording : Don"t Eat The Iphone. (mp3)
Over 2 years ago, in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany - in a forest close to his house, "Ironfinger" walked his dog & recorded this 59 seconds Walking The Dog… (mp3)
Shortly afterwards, in Communauté-Urbaine-de-Montréal, QC, Canada, "bwcowie" recorded & shared 23 seconds Walking the dog (mp3)
These were the first three dog walking Audioboos ever recorded & shared. Thus began a new genre. I suspect none of the three ever listened to recordings made by the others. It was as if the time had arrived for sharing what it’s like to be "walking the dog".
The first woman to make an Audioboo while walking her dog was "gillibobs". She shared 43 seconds - including a very faint "cacophony of birdsong" Walking the dog boo (mp3)
The first American was from Midvale, Utah, Don Livingston. He recorded 156 seconds on 22 March 2010 Walking the dog (mp3)
During those early years, 10 "walking the dog" Boos were made by 9 people (Documentally made 2) from 4 countries.
The following year 31 were made by Booers from 6 countries: England (3), Denmark (1), Scotland (1) Canada (1), Netherlands (1), Ireland (24).
Since February 2011, 46 Boos have been made from 4 countries: England (5), Netherlands (1), Germany (1), Ireland (39).
My first "Walking the dog" Audioboo was "Walking the dog on a Sunday afternoon in Glanmire Cork #omanipup" - 475 seconds. It’s been listened to 690 times. Walking the Dog on a Sunday afternoon in Glanmire Cork #omanipup (mp3)
My personality is prone to excess.
I have passions, obsessions, grand (even grandiose) projects. This is me. My work on myself is the job of curbing a tendency to generate too many attractive ideas & ambitions.
I use the evening walks with "Rocky" - a Coton de Tulear -to relax, to empty my mind as best I can. For me, these walks are a form of meditation - a peculiar meditation I sometimes share on audio. The walk helps me get off to sleep without dwelling on the events of the day which has been.
But is it ridiculous, risky or a worthwhile thing that I’ve made 88 "walking the dog" Boos?
You can find them all here.
