No worries toward our destination, because I promise to keep us safe, and to bring us back right here. While we are on our walking tour,  we will gain insights to some people, and please feel free and comfortable to express your initial thoughts, for we will all make mistakes in perception, that is not where the solution dies. You can say it outloud, whisper it to me or keep them inside your head. But be they flippant, kind or judgemental, make certain your thoughts register with the thinker. There is of course one small thing;  we will switch shoes with each person we meet.

∞∞∞

from Walk Off the Earth
this is… Fire in My Soul

∞∞∞

TAKE A WALK WITH ME
by Kendall F. Person

It’s a little chilly, so perhaps a light jacket or long sleeves. Sure, wear your comfortable shoes (chuckling). So we headed west, for no other reason than to be at odds with the sun. On the corner of Book Street & Cover Drive, was an old woman, hunched over and limping along, with only a cane to keep her stumbles from falling. Her hair was all over the place, but she hardly noticed, as  she hummed and enjoyed the few moments of energy she would have for the day.

“Oh that poor old lady. Homeless at her age. That’s why I don’t drink to this day.” 

Oh you forgot already, I said with a smile as I motioned toward your shoes, as the old lady approaches with hers in hand. As it turns out, she was 17 years old when both parents died when the mine exploded. But she was not allowed to grieve, for she was the oldest of 8 kids. She finished high school, but gave up plans for college. Two jobs she worked from 17 until she retired at 71. And her home, she purchased the title to over a decade ago. 

I know that seemed tough, but that’s your perception of her life. Our walk will feel less daunting if you accept at least in theory, that even our own life is not always about us.

On the last leg of our squared-shaped circle, when I heard the familiar voice, shouting the familiar words, I knew it was 10:30, time Crazy Joe’s stoking of fire and brimstone. But crazy confines itself to no box.  After a decade of seeing this man on the same corner, every Tuesday at 10:30 in the morning. Rain or shine and on the mark, waiving his old bible and shouting the same line “Redemption! The end is near!”  Crazy Joe is what I called him, but I had never asked him his name, nor why he said the things he did.  So I took off my shoes and retired Sergeant Parker Ramsey gave his to me to walk in.

A man of peace,  who did know the risks upon acceptance of his 4th tour of duty, and never once did he complain or speak ill of his nation; not even at the moment, a  roadside bomb exploded and a full hour after the search ended, for his best friend, now a fallen American soldier, found splattered all over him.

But from that moment on, he had to believe in something. Anything that man could not shoot with guns or blow up with bombs, so he anointed himself in the word of God

In 2 weeks, The Top 10 CITIES meet in a quarterfinal matchup, that hits a new mark in socially conscious, blog post entertainment. But there is a much bigger story to join in or follow and root for: a host of strangers, a collaborative of cities may find the first real clues, in discovering solutions to challenges that elude us. by walking a mile in another cities’ shoes.

∞∞∞

CITIES RD4 THE QUARTERFINALS: ‘A MILE IN MY SHOES’ – OCT 29TH

∞∞∞

The Results of RD3: ‘Causes’ below and
from 32 down to The Top 10 Cities

If you live in one of the top 10 cities, when is it your turn to step up?
Guidelines  for RD4 are posted at the Cities Info Center and are available upon request, and soon everywhere. Each round is open until a team player living in or around their city takes one for the team. DEADLINE for city submissionsOCT 27th

The Show takes place in equal parts here and The Neighborhood fb page (click like)