The question asked on a walk may matter more than reaching the end of the route.

Walking puts two people side by side with somewhere to look other than each other. That arrangement makes difficult things sayable, which is why the real subject often arrives around the second mile rather than at the kitchen table. The route was only ever the reason for being out. If something opens up, the loop can go unfinished without anything being lost.

Slow down instead of pressing on when a question worth answering appears on a walk. Sit on a wall, take the shorter way back, let the plan bend. Nobody remembers completing the circuit, and people remember what got said on it.