Solvitur ambulando.
— St. Jerome

The literal translation of St. Jerome's Latin words is, "It is solved walking." In other words, if you have a problem to solve — or a decision to make, or a crisis to face, or a knotty question to resolve — take a walk. Take a walk? Yes.

Jerome must have had many problems to solve. He is known for translating the entire Bible from its original languages into Latin. And he must have known this walking-around wisdom from firsthand experience. He would return to his writing table refreshed from his walk, able now to render a sentence that had resisted his previous efforts, into the smooth-flowing language that is the hallmark of his translation.

In many ways, the fourth-century challenges of Jerome are probably not much different — at least in their type, if not in their frequency — from the twenty-first century problems we face today.

Walking solves problems because it allows the soul-part to rest while the body-part works. It allows the mind to notice the air, the light, and what's going on in the village. These processes refresh the intellect and allow it to cut through what formerly had been too tough a surface.

This working-it-out, this clearing and refreshing, are processes that happen on their own, during the walk. You don't have to bring your problem-to-be-solved with you on the walk. If you do, it might not work. Rather, leave the problems behind. Then go for a walk.

David Kundtz in Quiet Mind