June 19th is World Sauntering Day

"World Sauntering Day" is celebrated on the 19th day of June every year. The purpose is to remind us to take it easy, smell the roses, to slow down and enjoy life as opposed to rushing through it. It is also sometimes referred to as International Sauntering Day

The exact year of its origin is 1979, and it is believed to have begun at Grand Hotel (Mackinac Island) in Michigan. The Grand Hotel has the world's longest porch at 660 feet in length. The holiday was created by W.T. Rabe in response to the growing popularity of jogging. The idea behind the day was to encourage people to slow down and appreciate the world around them.

This day, June 19th has been used as an opportunity to uplift people (one example is the Totally Unique Thoughts group and free Notes from the Universe http://www.tut.com/) and remind us of the well-being which is around us everywhere if we will choose to look for it, focus on it, and let it grow in our hearts and in our lives.

Also in some places, World Sauntering Day is celebrated on the 28th of August but the official date will always be June 19th.

Sauntering is a verb describing a style of walking; it is not a sashay, prance, trot, or lollygag. It is simply to walk slowly, preferably with a joyful disposition. Sauntering has been spoken of most notably by many of the naturalist writers in history including Henry David Thoreau and John Burroughs.