Walking and Learning: Perceptions

I wrote a few weeks ago about “How a Simple Walk Changed Everything.” The impact that walking both alone, with friends, with family, and colleagues has had on me in 2020 has been incredible. I believe that there is great power in this concept. I’ll be writing more about my walks, what I learn, whom I meet, and why it’s all important.

An early walk led me to a powerful friendship, and a bond with two guys (Jonathan Brabson and Brandon Miller) that are helping me explore the power of this simple concept. We have been walking and discussing some important concepts and I can’t wait to explore this more.
Here is a recent post by Brandon that I hope all of you will take the time to read:

https://brandonmiller2633.medium.com/the-walk-that-changed-my-life-e4821f1ebe88

A simple invitation to go for a walk has had a powerful impact on my life, and I’m honored to have made an impact in Brandon’s. I found this post to be eye opening, humbling, and incredibly motivating.

Brandon describes eloquently the feelings he had as I (a middle aged White Dude) approached him on that field the day we met. I had been there with Nazeem Bartman, striker for Stumptown Athletic, helping him start his Foundation, honoring his father and helping kids in Charlotte and South Africa through the game of soccer. I recognized Brandon as the starting goalkeeper for the Charlotte Independence, but that’s not what motivated me to walk over to him. I recognized him more importantly for the work he was doing to fight social injustice, building the Black Players Alliance and impacting our community. I didn’t know why, but it seemed like what he was doing, what I was doing and what Nazeem were doing should be connected.

Reading Brandon’s post made me realize how differently an interaction can be for two people. How our backgrounds, our color, our age, our environment all play onto each and every interaction, how it shapes our views, and impacts what actions we take. It was eye opening, and powerful and has forced me to look and think about this in a whole new way. I like to think that I am empathetic, and open. I think I’m honest about the role that race plays in our society, about privilege, about learning more and unafraid to have a difficult or uncomfortable conversation. All that being said in reading Brandon’s post I realized I have a long way to go and that’s okay. It made me want to take more walks, to lean into this and do more.

Thanks for reading a long and I hope you’ll join us for a walk.

C