{"id":12677,"date":"2015-01-01T23:58:50","date_gmt":"2015-01-01T23:58:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/challengedetroit.org\/blog\/sethhaug\/?p=38"},"modified":"2015-01-01T23:58:50","modified_gmt":"2015-01-01T23:58:50","slug":"38-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/38-2\/","title":{"rendered":"These Streets were made for Walking"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve got a BIG<\/strong> soft spot in my heart for a little<\/em> guy who goes by the name Dexter.\u00a0 Dexter, our 7 year old terrier mix, has been a big part of Nellie & my adult lives.\u00a0 He\u2019s dealt amazingly well with transitions, including his home base being moved 4+ times. \u00a0One factor keeping him balanced is our prioritization of a consistent walk schedule.\u00a0 But he\u2019s not the only one benefitting from these walks \u2013 I truly believe they have also nourished my body, mind, relationships, & communities.<\/p>\n

BODY \u2013 I\u2019m a relatively active individual, but like everyone I\u2019ll have one of those long days where Nellie\u2019s cooking + the appeal of a great craft beer (Founder\u2019s Backwoods Bastard<\/a>, anyone?)= there is no way my butt is going to the gym. \u00a0It might not be as intense, but at a minimum I\u2019ll get a good 15 minutes of walking in.<\/p>\n

Mind \u2013A nice long walk with Dexter is sometimes the best \u201cme\u201d time possible.\u00a0 In the mornings I can organize my daily activities, and at night I can debrief my accomplishments.\u00a0 Some say the best ideas happen in the shower, but I hash more personal things out by pounding the pavement with my canine.<\/p>\n

Relationships \u2013 Not all of my walks with Dexter are solo.\u00a0 In fact, an ideal walk is spent with Nellie, or other loved ones.\u00a0 Some of my best \u201clife\u201d conversations occur with a poop bag in my hand.<\/p>\n

Community \u2013 A great way to acquaint yourself with a neighborhood is to travel it by foot.\u00a0 I can feel my love and affinity for Ferry St (our new neighborhood) grow with every jaunt I take with Dexter. \u00a0By reading the historic signs, I\u2019m becoming inspired to learn more and spread the rich history of the buildings located just down the street –<\/p>\n

Omega Psi Phi building<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Col. Frank Hecker House<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Detroit Institute of Arts<\/a><\/p>\n

I get to experience, firsthand and in detail, some of the best architecture, gardens, and community art that the city has to offer \u2013<\/p>\n

The Inn on Ferry Street<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Art Center Community Garden<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 CCS Sculpture Garden<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But the essence of a community isn\u2019t great architecture or landscapes, rather the people and their interconnected relationships.<\/p>\n

Thus, we can\u2019t honestly say we belong to the Ferry Street neighborhood until we actually know and interact with our neighbors.\u00a0 So as a 2015 New Year\u2019s resolution, I pledge to leverage my walks with Dexter to:<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Establish a presence in our community through constant smiles & hellos on our walks \u2013 It\u2019s easier to feel kinship and willingness to approach a familiar person.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Be another set of eyes to look for things out of the ordinary \u2013 inform neighbors if we notice something, & call & nag the city about broken street lights.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Plan a neighborhood BBQ in Peck Park, similar to what my parents hosted in my boyhood neighborhood.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve got a BIG soft spot in my heart for a little guy who goes by the name Dexter.\u00a0 Dexter, our 7 year old terrier mix, has been a big part of Nellie & my adult lives.\u00a0 He\u2019s dealt amazingly well with transitions, including his home base being moved 4+ times. \u00a0One factor keeping him […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":317,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/317"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12677"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12677\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}