Too many of us are missing the benefits of a good, long walk

Years ago, I rode the overnight ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki across the Baltic Sea. I was accompanying my mother on a work trip to Scandinavia, delightfully experiencing, in person, places I had been reading about for years.

We reached Helsinki harbor around lunchtime and dragged our bags over the cobblestones of a beautiful plaza. Naturally hospitable, the Finns had a greeter standing at the center of the plaza, helping people with directions and logistics.

When I showed her the name of our hotel and asked for directions, the greeter pointed down the Esplanadi, Helsinki’s gorgeous central boulevard.

“Is it a long way?” I asked.

“Oh, it’s just a short walk,” was her sing-song reply.

Reader, it was at least two miles. By the time we arrived at the hotel, I was thoroughly annoyed wi