‘The Walking Man’ by Jiro Taniguchi is an everyman, except that he takes many walks and pays more attention to everyday things and relishes in their little joys, without letting anything press him for time.
He watches a bird like he has never seen its kind before. (And it’s true.) Its beauty makes him look for even more varieties of birds. He eats a sweet and walks a rescued stray dog. He enjoys a mosaic design on the pavement. He marvels at the first snow and walks in the rain. He buys traditional toys to play with. He takes unplanned detours when wandering in the streets in day and night to see its sights, till he is delightfully lost.
He climbs a tree to help kids retrieve a plane, and leans back on a branch to enjoy the unexpected view. He repairs a crashed model plane and sets it free. He sneaks in a public pool to have a skinny dip at night and walks barefoot home. He rescues a bird from a damaged nesting box and fixes it. When his glasses are cracked, he has fun looking through them. He lies under a tree. He races up a building’s roof to see dawn…
His life is an ordinary yet delicious one due to his ability to be mindful of what is around yet missed by most people. But what if he can’t take physical walks any more? It’s always time to walk the spiritual path too! In some ways, as above, he already walks it.
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