What began as a quiet coping mechanism became a local ritual — and a reminder that healing can start with a single step.
Three years ago, Daniel Ortiz was burning out. A high-performing marketing executive, Daniel had spent over a decade chasing deadlines, balancing spreadsheets, and taking pride in never taking a break. But the pandemic changed everything. Isolated in his apartment, Daniel found his once-thriving career joyless, his energy depleted, and his sense of purpose dimmed.
“I couldn’t focus, couldn’t sleep, and didn’t feel like myself anymore,” he recalls. It was during this low point that he started walking. Not for fitness. Not with a goal. Just to get out of the house and move.
Each morning, Daniel laced up his shoes and stepped outside. At first, it was 15 minutes around the block. Then 30. Then longer. No headphones, no tracking apps. Just the rhythm of footsteps, the changing light, and the passing lives of neighbors.
“I started noticing things again,” he says. “The old couple who walked their dog at the same time every day. The smell of bread from the bakery. Trees budding and then turning gold. Things I hadn’t paid attention to in years.”
His mind, once cluttered with emails and anxiety, began to clear. Within months, Daniel had stepped away from his corporate role and was volunteering with a local mental health nonprofit. But perhaps his biggest impact came from a small flyer he taped to a lamppost: “Morning Walks — Join Me. 7:30 AM. Corner of Elm and Monroe.”
At first, no one came. Then one woman joined. Then a couple. Eventually, the group grew to over 30 regular walkers — a rotating community of retirees, young professionals, and parents with strollers. They chatted, strolled, and shared their own stories of stress, recovery, and resilience.
Today, the group still meets every morning. Rain or shine. Daniel leads the walk when he can, but others have stepped up too. There’s no signup, no structure, no pressure — just people walking, together.
“It’s not about the steps or the miles,” Daniel says. “It’s about being present. And remembering we don’t have to heal alone.”
Written by Veritas Digest Staff
