The most significant takeaway I can claim from building a walking practice is--
Make a conscious choice to enjoy your present experience.
Here's why:
Any time we cast value on an experience, we're influenced by a lot of factors that we don't necessarily credit.
You know how music can influence experience?
Well, I've learned that taking a walk while listening to Kid Cudi is a totally different experience than taking a walk while listening to Mac DeMarco. And that if a song comes on that I don't like but I don't skip/change it because I'm distracted by my thoughts and not paying attention to its effect on my psyche, I can quickly become increasingly agitated and suddenly am not enjoying my time on the walk. Similarly, I'm more likely to perceive things consistently positively if I'm really enjoying the music I'm listening to.
I didn't mean to integrate listening to different genres as part of my walking practice- but my walks evolved into that. It was funny what different types of things I would notice depending on what genre I was listening to- hip hop highlights pretty different stuff than 60s-era country, for example. And my feelings about whatever was playing always had a strong impact on my mentality throughout the walk.
This practice basically reminded me how subjective every experience is.
If we find negative feelings regarding a circumstance outside our control, there are probably measures we can take to reach a more pleasant mindset.
Just like changing the music when we hear something we don't like, we can change our attitudes as we walk through life, yielding a totally new experience.
