Mindful Miles

You know how much I love my daily Mindful Mile, but the other day, it turned into something even better. I was out walking with my friends, Sarah, Liam, and Chloe, and as we chatted, we stumbled onto a hilarious topic: the wildest, most unsolicited advice strangers have ever dished out to us on our walks.

We decided it was an official challenge: who had the funniest tale from the Unsolicited Life Advice Mile? And let me tell you, it was a rib-cracker! Each story was funnier than the last.

Sarah kicked us off. “Okay, so I was just strolling along, minding my own business, when this woman stops me, points at my earbuds, and says, ‘You really shouldn’t listen to music. You need to listen to the sound of your own health!’” We all burst out laughing, picturing Sarah trying to discern the ‘sound of her health’ over her pop-punk playlist.

Next up was Liam, whose story instantly had us howling. “I was walking my little terrier, you know, just letting him sniff everything. This guy marches up, looks me dead in the eye, and says, very seriously, ‘You should be walking ahead of that dog. If the dog is in front, it thinks it’s the leader of your family!’” We imagined Liam’s tiny terrier planning a household coup. The sheer conviction of the advice was priceless.

Chloe, always the quiet one, then delivered the absolute showstopper. “I was taking my usual route, just enjoying the quiet, when this man stops me. He looks at the clear sky and then back at me and says, ‘If you’re really looking to clear your head, you need to turn around and face the wind. It’s much more therapeutic.’” We couldn’t breathe, picturing her deliberately turning into a gusty breeze just for mental clarity. It was just so wonderfully, unnecessarily specific!

By the end of our walk, our sides ached from laughing. All those passionate bits of input about health sounds, dog hierarchies, and therapeutic wind directions are just delightful, external noise. And the simple conclusion we all agreed on? Whatever makes you laugh that much has already added something wonderfully positive to your day.