Andantino Poem by David Mitchell

I find I walk a lot: it helps me think
And calms me down, and minimizes stress.
Sometimes I think I would prefer it if I did
Not think; but contemplation is not bad.
Indeed, if I thought not, I would not write,
Or if I did, I think I'd do it badly.
We all should walk more often: benefits
Are surely evident from doing so:
The environment would certainly improve;
It is a safe and healthy way to travel;
And - most important good of all, for me –
Walking induces thought. Is it not true
(Although, if true, it must therefore be sad)
That in this time we seldom pause for thought?
Our attitude is 'We do not have time'.
We do not seem to understand that this
Is no excuse: if we do not have time,
Surely we do too much, and should do less.
And if we take as much time as we need
(Not more) , may we not thereby gain more joy
—More Something, out of life? Slow down: at least,
Don't rush. Do not want something yesterday
Which you will get tomorrow, if you wait;
For it may never come. And do not think
'If I don't fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
I'll be no man': whatever you may do,
And whatsoever evil may befall you,
Never will you be able to say truly
That you are not a man: for although minutes
Do not forgive, they do not unforgive.
Now ask yourself, what does this word mean, 'minute'?
A sixtieth of an hour: what is an hour?
Do you not understand that man makes hours
And measures them, and minutes measure man?
If we did not waste time by worrying
About that time, then we would get more done:
Not only more, but much more fruitfully.
There is no need to Do Everything Faster;
For life is not a race. Sufficient rest,
As well as work, is requisite for health.
I do not mean that there are never times
(For often are such times) when one should hurry
Or act immediately without delay:
I mean that one should take the proper tempo,
Not playing 'presto' when we read 'allegro',
Nor 'largo' for 'andante'. There is none
Alive who, when he breathes his final breath,
Can truly say, 'I have wasted no time':
For everyone could say 'I wasted time,
And I could have done more': remorse is needless
(Repentance not) when one departs this frame:
You need not worry (unless you have good reason)
If you do not work twenty hours each day
Without or food or sleep. Too great exhaustion
Would kill you if you did, and kill you soon.
Be not afraid to live - nor to be idle:
As long as you're not dead all your life long,
And lazy to the core, then if you do
Your share of work, then whether you deserve
To rest or not, you need your rest, so take it.
Walking alone gives time enough for thought:
And solitude enhances this, sometimes.
And thought is never wasted. Above all,
Walking is pleasant - walking in the sun,
At least; I do not think I can pretend
To like a long stroll through the wind and rain;
But others do (pretend? or do they really?) .
The great virtue of walking is, I find,
That unlike many other things in this
Too hectic time, whose ghost is one of speed,
Walking allows a man to take his time,
To think, to meditate, and to reflect.