The Spiritual Practice of Flânerie
Do you like to go walking?
I love walking, and I especially love walking in Steveston. Sadly, though, I've noticed these days I often walk solely to fulfill a purpose (i.e. to get somewhere, to exercise, to walk the dog).
Perhaps you can relate to purposeful walking. Perhaps you too only walk for a reason. However, although you may be an efficient walker, do you ever wander? Think back. When was the last time you simply wandered aimlessly, by yourself, with no destination or purpose in mind?
I bumped into someone yesterday (while purposefully walking my dog), and she was casually strolling through Britannia Shipyards, holding some leaves she picked up along the way. We said our hellos and the person mentioned she was out for stroll to clear her head and de-stress. She wasn't heading anywhere in particular, just walking through the Shipyards to see what she sees and enjoy being in the moment.
I too have done my share of aimless walking. When I was 18 I backpacked over Europe by myself for four months and spent many days alone in brand new cities. One of my favourite things to do was to leave my hostel and wander. Sometimes I wanted to see certain sites and attractions, but very often I would stroll around and explore. I felt free, relaxed, and curious.
Even now, I enjoy running in a new neighbourhood or new city without any route in mind, for the same reason: being free, relaxed, and curious. It makes running more fun.
Little did I know my walking and running in those moments has a proper name: the practice of flânerie, or the art of aimless strolling.
What is Flânerie?
Flânerie is a French term to describe wandering aimlessly. The person who practices it is called a flâneur.
However, there's more to flânerie than wandering aimlessly. Writer Sam Woolfe calls the flâneur "an acute observer of society." He goes on to say:
Flânerie is not frivolous, pointless, or lazy. The strolling itself may be ‘aimless’ in a sense, but it still produces valuable changes in one’s psyche or subjectively felt experience of the world.
Flânerie does not mean one is doing nothing. Woolfe quotes French novelist Honoré de Balzac who remarked, “To stroll is to vegetate, to flâneur is to live.” Even better, Balzac called the practice “the gastronomy of the eye”. That may be the best phrase I've heard in 2023.
Although both the above commentators describe flânerie in terms of joy, beauty, and mental wellness, it is also a valuable spiritual practice. There is something refreshing and revitalizing about wandering, and when we do it with an awareness of God's presence, not only does he restore our soul, he also speaks to us through what we see.
PAUSE AND REFLECT
When was the last time you were a flâneur?
If you're like me, it's been a while. Like I mentioned above, I walk these days to get somewhere, not to practice flânerie. But I know there is great benefit to it. I know how much I love feeling free, relaxed, and curious. I know that strolling aimlessly always revitalizes my soul. I look, I think, I pray, I listen.
The number one problem I face, however, is time. There is so much to do, and there is a small, broken part of me that tells me an aimless wander is a waste of time and a thief to my efficiency.
Is it, though? Am I not more centred, capable, and, yes, efficient, when my head is clear, my body is relaxed, and my mind is at ease? Not that I should be a flâneur so I can be more productive, but I believe it would be a happy, (un)intentional outcome.
It's something akin to the old-time lumberjack pausing every hour to sharpen his axe. Every minute sharpening is a minute not chopping, but more chopping is accomplished in a day when the axe stays sharp. Flânerie sharpens my mind, feeds my soul, and quiets my emotions. And it's fun!
Interested in trying flânerie? Here are three ways you can practice flânerie today:
Go outside your door and get curious. Walk around your neighbourhood and look for things you've never noticed before. Make a point of going down every walking path you encounter.
Leave your house and start walking. When you come to your first intersection, turn left. Next one turn right, and so on. (You can do the same thing with colours: turn left at the colour pink, right at the colour yellow).
Drive to a brand new neighbourhood and wander. If something interests you, explore it further. Drink it all in.
And don't forget to invite God along on your stroll! Pray about what you see, or anything else on your mind. If something catches your attention, perhaps God is highlighting it to you for a reason. Ask him why. If it will help, listen to worship music as you walk, but maybe you just want to listen to the sounds of the neighbourhood, or the the forest, or wherever you flânerie.
Slow down. Breathe deep. Enjoy the gastronomy of the eye, and embrace God's inefficient presence.
The Lord will always lead you,
satisfy you in a parched land,
and strengthen your bones.
You will be like a watered garden
and like a spring whose water never runs dry.~ Isaiah 58:11