I Did It!

Before today my longest walk was 8 miles. That was a 3 hour walk. Today was gorgeous and I had hopes of being able to take a very long walk. How long, I wasn’t completely sure about. I am in the process of completing all the areas north of 496. I had about five areas I need to walk before I will be able to say I have walked everything north of the highway. The chunk I walked today was actually supposed to be 2 separate walks. However, when it’s near 70 with perfect partly sunny weather it’s hard to take a short walk. If you add into that the beauty of everything coming into bloom at the same time and the harmonious bird songs filling the air, well that’s the perfect excuse to walk over 13 ½ miles (almost a half marathon) in a four hour walk-a-thon.
Flowering Trees were everywhere
Lilacs
Maples Lining the Streets
It wasn’t my intention of walking the most I’ve ever walked before. I just couldn’t help myself. It’s true that part of the walk was because of the facts already stated, but a much darker truth is that I am very stubborn. I set my mind to doing something and I will not fail. I might wail out a frustrated, “I can’t do this”, but I will pretty much be planning my next attempt at the end of that sentence. Some think I continue to do this project because I am kind, thoughtful, generous and full of positivity. Don’t get me wrong, I hope those things are true. Yet, another part of me just won’t let me stop. I started it and I’m going to finish it. Tell me I can’t, well I’ll show you! Stubborn. It was my stubbornness today that had me over stepping my abilities and left me panting for a small drink of water 3.5 hours into my walk. Towards the end, for an hour or so I had been searching all the homes I passed, hoping someone was watering their lawn. No one was. I hoped to pass a business I could buy a drink from. I didn’t. Finally, when I didn’t think I could make it (I was weaving as I walked at this point) I saw a woman in her home. I got my courage up and I went up to her porch and laughed at how ridiculous my statement was going to sound: “I went for a much longer walk than I had intended because I’m trying to walk all these streets in this area so I don’t have to come back and walk it again”. Well, it was something like that. I continued, “Could I have a glass of water. I’ll just drink out of your hose even.” She didn’t hear the last part because she had graciously turned back into her house and was getting me a much needed glass of water. When I saw the full cup of ice water in a plastic cup, I almost cried. She gave it to me and asked about my journey. I told her about my walking project but she then cut me off and ordered me to take a drink; (I’m thinking I might have looked a little rough). I finished that off and told her the rest. I do like meeting people while I’m out and talking to them. She loved the idea and wanted the blog so she could check it out. She then took my glass back inside for a refill. When she returned she had the glass full and a cupcake with a napkin. My Cupcake and Ice water. 
It was her daughter’s birthday. She gave me my treasures and sent me on my way. With this boost of refreshments I was able to complete this entire section which I was thinking that after all this work I would need to come back to walk 4 blocks. But I did it! I walked it all; almost a half marathon of neighborhood walking for this project! That’s the most I’ve ever done, time wise and distance wise and I’m not too sure I’ll do it again. But I might. Just don’t tell me I can’t.

Getting it Done

Sometimes I like those days where the schedule is chronologically challenged. Yesterday was one of those days. It started at about 4:15 a.m. when a text came through Pat’s phone letting us know our nephew had been born. It’s a bit hard to go back to sleep after that but I did try. Pat and I already had a few things on our plate that day but thought we could include a visit to the hospital quite easily. We eagerly got the twins on the bus and quickly got dressed for the day. Pat had a client that needed some computer updates on the south side and I had some streets I needed to walk. Now our schedule was: kids on bus (done), trip to hospital, meeting on south side, City Saunter walk on south side. I also had a lunch date with my favorite elementary school teacher, Cathy Colando Riley. We had finally agreed to a time and place weeks ago and I didn’t want to cancel that. That was at 1 p.m. in Okemos. By 9:00 a.m. Pat and I were in the car heading into town. We didn’t eat breakfast. We decided to stop at McDonald’s. We had coupons, buy one breakfast sandwich get one. We each could go in, use the coupon and take the extras to the hospital. So now our schedule was this: kids on bus (done), get ready (done), stop at McDonald’s, drive to hospital, drive to client on south side, drop me off to walk south side roads (about 1.5 I thought), get back home so Pat can work and I drive to Okemos to meet Cathy. After eating our McDonald’s sandwiches in the car we started heading into Lansing. Should we bring a gift? What would they like, flowers, candy, a soy smoothie from Biggby? All were great choices. On our route into town is Frandor. We already needed to stop at World Market for coffee beans because it’s Wednesday and on Wednesday when you buy coffee you get double punches; no, not to the face, on your coffee card to get a free 12 oz. bag of coffee. We use it to try the really expensive Jamaican blend or some such kind. So we decided to stop at World Market. So this is our morning so far: get kids on bus (done), go to McDonald’s and use b-1-g-1 coupon (done), drive through busy East Lansing to crazy Frandor (I refer to it as the 10^th layer of hell) and stop at World Market for coffee and gift, drive to hospital, drive to south side (Dunckel and Jolly), drop me off in random parking area so I can  walk, Pat goes to meeting, he picks me up, drive home and I leave to go to my lunch date with Cathy Colando Riley former Gier Park and Otto teacher.

Well, it’s 9:35 and World Market doesn’t open until 10:00 a.m. So we decide against the gift because driving into the 10^th layer of hell, yelling at Pat for not turning onto a one way when he had the chance and then not having our store even open yet took about 20 minutes and I was a bit frustrated. A few minutes later after parking at the Sparrow parking ramp (I will need to come up with a catchy name for this place as well) we soon find ourselves on the third floor staring at the sign on the maternity ward wall that states: Visiting Hours 11:00 a.m. We needed to wait over an hour to see our new nephew. Fortunately for us a social worker over heard us talking and called the nursing station to see if we could visit early. Ahaaaa, we finally get a break! We stop at the nursing station, get the room number and sneak our way through the very quiet hallway. I gently tap on the door, open it a crack and let them know we’re here to see the new baby. Yippee! As with our timing with World Market we again were denied. Our sweet little nephew was about two seconds away from getting his own breakfast. Back to the waiting room Pat and I went. I was able to pass off the extra breakfast sandwiches before leaving though; finally success! So we wait. And we wait. About 45 minutes pass when the new daddy pops his head in and walks us back to the room. We had a quick visit and had to be off to our other scheduled plans.
We quickly make it out to the south side and Pat drops me off for my walk and he goes to his client. This part of town is not made for walking but I often find those areas more interesting. My first interesting thing was a goose. He was sleeping about 5 feet from the road, directly in my path. What would a goose do if I snuck up on him?  I found myself laughing all alone on the side of the road at the idea of goosing a goose. I stopped and took photos a few times hoping my shutter would wake him up; it didn’t. I move closer and he’s still sleeping. I move a little closer and he’s still sleeping! I am now about 5 feet from him when he picks his head up, looks right at me and hisses. I hate that noise. So now I am stuck with speeding traffic on my right, a sloping pond on my left and a hissing goose directly in front of me. I wait until most of the traffic clears (it’s quite busy here) and move out into the road hoping by keeping my head down and not giving the goose eye contact he won’t attack me.I’m walking in the road, with my camera, laughing out loud, with fast traffic speeding towards me hoping to not get attacked by a drowsy goose!  
For the next hour I continued on my sidewalk-less travels and finished off this entire south eastern edge. It was almost 3 miles and it was quite close to 80 degrees outside. I was quite sweaty and very flushed. It was getting very close to the time that I needed to be picked up to make it home in time to drop Pat off and leave for my lunch date with Cathy Colando Riley, one of my favorite teachers. We spent a couple of months learning all the songs on the “Chicken Soup with Rice” record in 5^th grade. One of my most cherished memories. When my twins came home from school a couple years ago singing those songs I exploded with joy; not literally, but I was really happy. I had a copy of the CD I had bought for my older kids. They never got into it, but Evan and Ellie know every song and often play it as they go to sleep.
My phone vibrates. Yes, Pat is done! We meet back at the random parking lot and head back home. We do indeed make it back through the 10^th layer of hell, passing World Market, knowing full well that we need to come back sometime that day to get our extra punch from our coffee purchase. At home Pat gets out and I even have a few extra minutes to change into dry clothes and race off for my lunch date with Cathy Colando Riley who looks exactly the way she did when I was in second grade and I told her I was a hypochondriac to which she said, “that’s a big world for a little girl”.  And she looked the same way she did when she met me at the Calbery Awards ceremony in 4^th grade where I won 3rd place city wide.
She definitely looked the same from when I use to get off my bus from Eastern High School and walk up to Otto to visit with her. I spent about an hour and a half catching up with her then headed home. I had about an hour to upload photos before the twins got off their bus. We would be returning to the hospital so they could meet their new cousin. We also stopped at World Market for that coffee and even stopped at McDonald’s again so the twins could have some ice cream for being good during the visit. At the end of the day we were happy to say we got it all done! And that 10^th layer of hell? We drove through it 4 times yesterday.  I think that’s a new record.

Inspiration

I spent most of last weekend volunteering with the Lansing Marathon. I realized, while there, how many different aspects of the race inspired me. First there was Dr. Virginia Beard. A week before our marathon she was at the Boston Marathon but due to the tragic events was unable to finish the last half mile of that race. It was decided that Dr. Beard would start our Lansing Marathon at the last half mile and finish what she was unable to do in Boston. She would then receive her metal that she didn’t get in Boston and lead our marathon in a moment of silence. If that wasn’t inspiring enough, she then went on to run a half marathon. When I saw all the runners standing in two rows waiting for Dr. Beard to pass by, I felt inspired.

When, in the wee morning hours inside the Lansing Center way before anyone else had arrived, I passed a police officer and his bomb trained German Shepherd inspecting the trash cans thoroughly, I felt sad, but I also felt inspired to help make this world a safer, calmer place. When I saw thousands of people in the cold, early Sunday morning lining up to run a very long race, I felt inspired.
Then there was the 15 year old that ran without any training. There was the multitude of volunteers handing out water, food, metals and blankets; not to mention “hellos”, “thank yous” and “you can do its! There was the mom standing eagerly at the very edge of the finish line who wanted to be the one to give her daughter her metal. I spent the next hour or so instructing the volunteers that when this woman’s daughter came through to let her give the runner her metal. We eyed every runner coming towards us to see if she matched this woman’s number. It was near the end of the race and it was announced that the last runner had crossed the 24 mile mark. Maybe that was her? However, a few minutes later a runner wearing all black turned the corner and headed our way. I saw the younger girl with this woman light up. “That’s her”, she yelled. Together the three of us moved closer to the finish line. Other volunteers realized this was the one we’d been waiting for and motioned for the mom to move closer. I cried as all three hugged at the finish line. How exciting that we could do this for them. That was inspiring. Twelve hours into my volunteering experience for that final day, I stood shoulder to shoulder with dozens of volunteers and family members as the last runner, after 7 long hours of running, finally crossed the finish line. She did it! And THAT, was inspiring.

Inspiration is a very personal thing. Something that moves to inspire me may not inspire you. I think that’s okay, as long as something inspires you. Yesterday I bought a new pair of running shoes.
With this project I’ve walked over 300 miles, but I’ve run none. Today I tried to use that momentum from the race to try a run. I had a section of road that would be a down and back type walk. Sometimes I use my bike for these areas. I walk my bike one way then ride back. This time I decided to run back. It was almost two miles and even though it wasn’t pretty, I did it. At one point I passed a woman working outside her house. She nodded as I came to a stop. She asked if I’d started running at Filley St. (about a mile away).  I said I had. She said she thought that was a long way. I told her briefly about my project and that I decided to run back from this last walk, but that I wasn’t doing so well since I was breathing hard and needing to take a break. She said she thought I was doing great to her.
I think it’s good to really think about the things that inspire you. I also think it’s good to try to be inspiring. But the best part is when a good friend or even a stranger lets you know that they think you are inspiring too.
Inspiration Located at the Lansing City Market

Be the Love

Carefully I planned out my attire for this walk; red corduroys with matching top, my daughter’s pink poncho with hearts and peace signs all over it and a pink bow in my hair. I wanted to wear a sign on my back that said “Honk if you #LoveLansing” but Pat thought it was too much. The night before I had finished creating 24 Hershey Kiss rose buds. Today I planned to pass them out as I walked one of my final east side routes. I’d learned before that giving away things to people isn’t as easy as you’d think. A few months back I desperately tried to hand out 5 Biggby cards. People tend to be wary of a stranger walking around asking if you like coffee. I knew with this give away I would look the part and act the part; happy City Saunterer (it’s a noun now) dressed like a Valentine Card, handing out homemade treats. It mostly worked. I had a slow start as the streets I needed to walk were residential. As I worked my way closer to the busier streets I began to find more and more people to flower/candy bomb.
Here’s my route:

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/232707078

My recipients:
1. Lady walking her dog. The dog growled at me.
2. A man in a wheelchair on his front porch. He was feeding about 5 squirrels peanuts.
3. The mailman on Allen St.
4. I placed one on a set of delivered packages on a decorated home on Allen St.
5 & 6 I crossed the street where a man and woman whose disabled car left them abandoned in Lansing from out of town. I told them I couldn’t fix their car but I could try to cheer them up. It did.
7 A woman walking out of Ronald McDonald House.
8 & 9 Two girls walking down the street. Their response was ; “How sweet”.
10. A man walking on Kalamazoo St.
11 A young girl on Jones
12. A young guy on Holmes
13. Another guy on Pennsylvania
14 A girl walking down Pennsylvania with heart shaped balloons trailing behind her. She also had a package in her arms. When I gave her the flower she announced that it was also her birthday! What a treat!
15. Lady carrying packages into Rite Aid
16. & 17 Two girls getting on the bus on Michigan Ave.
18 A man hurrying across the street from Sparrow. He had a red coat on. I couldn’t resist.
19 Burcham Hill driver
20. A well dressed woman waiting outside Sparrow Professional Center
21 & 22 A couple also waiting outside the Sparrow Professional Center
23 & 24 A couple waiting for the bus down the road from Sparrow.
What a great day of giving!

Lifting the Fog

When snowfall and thunderstorms meet on a crazy night in mid Michigan it creates fog; dense, thick fog. I was so captivated by its etherealness I decided to go walk in it. My house sits in a bit of a gully, between multiple hills. I joke, but to get to my house from any direction you have to go uphill and then downhill. My walk to Meijer is literally uphill both ways and I’m not saying that in a Parks and Rec kind of way. It takes a while for the snow to melt around our house, even on a 50 degree day. Yesterday was no exception. All around my house and yard was this super thick fog yet as I drove to Lansing the fog became thinner and more sporadic. I realized the melting snow had ended any hope of walking and photographing the fog. However due to a few events there was still a very odd feel to this walk. The first was a horrific car crash that happened on I-496. The accident itself occurred at around 7:00 a.m., however as I drove past at around 11:00 a.m. the entire 5 lane highway was abandoned. The only thing on the highway was the 5 crashed cars and a completely burned out 6th car. Two police cars were positioned to block any car that might have made it onto the highway that somehow got through multiple road blocks further up. There were no movements. Had I not read about the crash on line I would have been really shocked by this scene. However knowing that a life had been lost in this tragic crash also left me feeling quite upset by having passed it.

found at the corner of Donora and Mt. Hope. The letter is written from a son whose father was tragically killed.

Then on my exit off the highway I came right up alongside one of the folks that ask for money. Whether their decision to stand there comes from true need or some type of scam, seeing them there often saddens me. I still get tears thinking about last Thanksgiving when our entire family, dressed in our fancy clothes, and joyously talking to each other about the great meal we were about to consume at grandma’s house drove by this woman on the side of the road. Her sign read; “Pregnant and homeless, please help”. It wasn’t so much what her sign said as it was the day in which she stood there. Here it was a holiday of thanksgiving, a day to be grateful. And here she stood all alone, in the cold. Didn’t she have family? Did she have no one to cook for her? The sadness overwhelmed me and I burst into tears. We drove back around the corner and my husband got out and handed her $5 after I insisted we do something. Maybe I played into the game. Maybe I should have had a stiff upper lip and told her to go learn to fish instead of handing her one. I couldn’t. I wanted her to know that someone cared. I wanted her to know that someone saw her and acknowledged her on this Thanksgiving Day.

So here again, I sat for a seemingly endless time trying to avoid the gaze of this man, praying for him and hoping he could find what he needed.
My final unusual event was actually a positive one. As I walked along my walk, finishing off sections of a neighborhood I mostly had walked before, disappointed by my inability to capture gorgeous, foggy photos, I found a hidden treasure. I’d heard of them before and had no idea I was sauntering my way towards one. Up ahead of me amongst a sea of browns and dismal grays sat a large mailbox, practically glowing in bright rainbow colors.

Except it wasn’t just any ordinary mailbox. It was a library! I had stumbled across a Little Free Library!

This little gem completely changed my mood. It reminded me quite a lot of my Finding Rainbows blog.
So today’s moral is; lift the fog. Look around you and find the joys, even the little ones. Be aware of those around you. Pay attention to those in need. Can you help? Did you try? Lift the fog and enjoy life! Grieve the losses as it makes you appreciate what you have all the more. And when something really great comes along, revel in your blessing then reach in and grab at it.

Winter Walks

It’s around this time of year I start noticing those who begrudgingly reside in Michigan. They greatly enjoy the temperate springs, lavishly sunny summers and moderately warm falls. However when winter comes they absolutely loath the cold. It’s hard for me to understand this. I feel the temperate spring only seems so because of the frigid winters. Then the moderate fall can only exist and cause so much excitement because we all know what’s right around the corner. A true Michigan winter is the gauge we use to extract the gifts of the other seasons. I love Michigan winters; love them. I love the snow. I love the winter sports. I love the bulky clothes and furry boots. I enjoy the warming drinks and romantic fires. I love walking outside and hearing the cold; the snow crunching, the tree branches chinking together, the air forming physically around you. It feels clean and sanitized. It’s amazing. I also enjoy walking my walks in the winter. I often get asked if I walk year round and yes I do. The winters are some of my favorite walks. I find these winter walks to be filled with peace and tranquility as I am often the only walker. Even today, as I walked a very urban neighborhood the loudest noises came from birds. I only came across one pedestrian, an elderly man who was walking to the bus stop. I offered pleasantries as I waited to cross the street and we both extended hopes of staying warm when the cold snap finally arrives this weekend. We haven’t had a true cold snap in over 2 years. If all works out as planned this deliciously cold winter will create the most abundance of flowers in the spring.
My walk.

Market Lansing

Yesterday was the first Wednesday of the month, which means I was scheduled to provide event photography for MarketLansing. This month is actually my one year anniversary as “Official Event Photographer” with this group. My in kind donation allows me to come and join an incredibly talented group of small business owners, small business marketers and self employed business owners who have to wear all the hats. It’s a wonderful mix of people from many walks of life. I’ve enjoyed early morning coffees, Lugnut games, and brunches at the Lansing Country Club. Yesterday’s meeting was scheduled to meet for the first time at the newly dedicated Old Town Marquee, which was recently purchased by Rizzi Designs, another Market Lansing sponsor. As I drove into Old Town I was a bit later than I had hoped. However, when I checked the doors they were firmly locked and the sign said closed. Until about a week ago, when something like this happened, I would need to call my husband and ask him to check my Facebook pages to see what I was missing. But now, I have my own fancy 21st century phone and was able to look and see that the time had changed to noon (which is normally when it’s scheduled anyway, so it was kind of my fault). So I had an hour. To the north of Old Town there are a few streets I had not walked yet. My friend Rebecca Eldridge, who is the president of Market Lansing, had requested an urban garden from the Land Bank. My plan was to walk it when she and her husband, David had begun their gardening. The plot she was given, however, ended up being larger than she thought she could work and she was unable to proceed with her garden. So the area sits unused.
As I walked past it I had quite a few ideas come to mind for the little plot of land; park, sunflower garden, community garden, picnic area. I wonder sometimes how things get going to make these projects excel. Is it a conversation over coffee or drinks? Is it a series of answered questions? What were the steps that helped make the raspberry garden get planted south of Kalamazoo? So now I wonder, what does it take to get something in this northern Lansing vacant plot of land? What’s the first step? I wonder.

On the right Path

She was late. Her intern said her council meeting had run late but she was on her way. I didn’t mind much, it was very sunny out and I enjoyed waiting in the sun. Out the back door of the entirely too small office for the South Lansing Community Development Association, I watched as an intern and an Americorp worker quickly worked to lash down the new hoop house flaps from the strong winds of hurricane Sandy.

Within minutes my ride arrived with similar hurricane force as she checked with her intern, checked her computer, freshened up and prepared for her ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled later that day. As we jumped into her car, with a glint in her eye and an equally bright glint off her diamond stud in her nostril, she looked at me and said; “So, why are you discouraged by the south side? “

To say Kathie Dunbar is a straight shooter is an understatement. It’s more like she unabashedly gives everything she does her heart and soul. I first met Kathie at the Mid Michigan Addy Awards in 2009. She was our table mate as well as our emcee for the night. At Ignite 3.0 she came out on stage at the Knapps building with a life sized cut out of Larry Page, CEO of Google in hopes to promote Lansing as the recipient of Google’s Fiber to Home give-away.
In 2011 before performing her often raunchy comedic skit for Earth Day’s “Laugh with a Purpose”, we sat in the Temple Club’s basement chatting over donated Carraba’s baked ziti.

It’s her exuberance that makes her great at everything she does, whether it’s standup comedy, city council Vice President or Executive Director of South Lansing Community Development Association. She’s a good person for Lansing and she’s a great person to know. So when Kathie invited me to do a drive along on the south side so she could show me what she’s been up to, I definitely said yes.

We started by checking out the newly created pathway, which was having its ribbon cutting ceremony that day. Now, this isn’t your typical sidewalk. In fact it’s not a sidewalk. It’s an 8 foot, asphalt path for walkers and bikers that travels from Mt. Hope to Jolly Rd. on the east side of Waverly Rd. Being that it’s a path and not a sidewalk (very similar to Hawk Island/Scott’s Woods) the city is required to maintain it and it will not be an additional burden to the home owners.
The layout of the path actually adds quite a lot of style to the homes situated along the pathway. Today I walked a chunk from Holmes to Mt. Hope and found it very pleasant. It meanders away from the busy road and the breadth allows passing walkers to graciously pass each other without the uncomfortable closeness that other Lansing sidewalks create. The second phase of this urban pathway will be an off road path from Aurelius along Jolly and will greatly advance the mobility of the walking and biking community for this south side region.
Our next few stops were multiple urban gardens. One large garden area was exclusively used by community refugees who were desperately in need of the growing space. Even this late in the growing season, it was evident the growing ability of this group. With this new area for growing they would no longer need to trek miles to get to useable land. It is now, literally, in their backyard.

As we drove, Kathie outlined many of the complications with the south side area. And just for the record the south side is pretty much anything south of I-496. It’s a very large and diverse section of Lansing; almost 2/3 of it in fact. It has the largest green space of the city, the fewest “historical” areas (which means it doesn’t receive the incentives of other areas for rebuilding and advancement), and a high concentration of commercial space. So if it was your job to advance this area, it could be quite challenging. Lucky for this area Kathie likes a challenge. And that’s no joke.

Discouraged

 

I don’t like to be discouraged. However the momentum I first felt that propelled me down this path seems to be waning. In the beginning I felt that despite a perception of Lansing falling quickly into the shadows of Flint post GM manufacturing plants closing, I was seeing and feeling a sense of hope. I was participating actively in events and activities that created such a sense of growth and optimism. I was surrounded by these mid Michigan agents of good, who constantly energized a base of people to embrace Lansing, warts and all. A movement emerged, #lovelansing. It was strong. Lansing began getting national recognitions; Old Town with its 2011 Great American Main Street Awards and Lansing getting a nod from Kiplinger article listing it as one of 10 great cities for young adults. I’m not sure when I first noticed the decline in the #lovelansing intensity. I remember thinking to myself that with such a small group cheering on the crowds, we were going to get tired. Maybe that’s all it is. I think what people don’t realize, is how much energy, time and money goes into being a cheerleader for the city. The people who donate time, money and energy to non-profits, events, projects and volunteering for all of these, are not super heroes. They are normal people, with normal lives. They are raising children and caring for sick family members, and running small businesses, or owning small businesses or working for non profits. Some are even doing multiple things from that list. I think we hoped for a trickle down enthusiasm. Or even a constant pay it forward wave. As the recession and life wore us down I saw it getting harder and harder for the people of this group to volunteer. I watched sadly as some chose to move to another city or even state. I noticed the trials of life; divorce, job loss, job gain, child rearing, sickness, play its toll on this altruistic group. I remember during an interview with Michael McCallum I asked him if he ever feels like he’s the lone person, standing in the stands cheering his heart out. He said, yes. I bet I could find about 100 people who would say the same thing. I wonder why that is. Is it hard to be optimistic? Are people afraid of being disappointed? I remember a time when Pat drove our car into a construction area and got it stuck. We had a whole line of people standing out there telling us how bad it was and we were never going to get out and all kinds of negative comments. Only one person got in the dirt and helped us push it out; one. As I walked on the south side of Lansing today, I saw that attitude everywhere. It was overpowering. I walked passed about 20 people while walking. Not one of them smiled back at me. It was almost as if the innocence of that smile was lost on them, it wasn’t good enough (or bad enough). I felt that I needed to represent a roughened countenance. I had to look as beat up as they felt to fit in; furrowed brow, sweaty face, downturn mouth. It was sad. Things that normally cheer me up seemed to make it worse. Normally I love the sun shining down on me. Today however, the sun being there only made me miss it that much more when it went away, leaving me cold and causing gusty winds to whip up, slamming doors of abandoned homes.

So this is what I’m going to say; if you’ve been a #lovelansing cheerleader, KEEP IT UP!! I’ll support you if you support me. That’s a promise. If you’ve just started being a #lovelansing cheerleader, welcome! If you are supporting a cheerleader, thank you!

Now, if you’re standing on the sidelines, telling everyone how bad it is or washing over all of us with your negativity, I’m going to ask you, what are you getting from that? Do you feel better? Do you like yourself, your house, your neighborhood more? What do you lose by jumping on the campy #lovelansing bandwagon? Nothing! However, you gain the ability to change the place you live. You change the perspective you share with other people in your vicinity. Best of all you change yourself!

Please, Lansing, don’t give up. We need to keep giving our all and fighting our fight. It’s not won yet. 

Peace Treats

A week and a half ago I hosted an event at the Lansing City Market. It was called Peace of Lansing and it coordinated with an international day of peace and ceasefire by Peace One Day’s creator Jeremy Gilley. When I first decided to put this day of celebration into motion I had created a list of objectives; garden surplus, mayor speaking, river boat rides, reading circles, teacher school supply donations, used book fair, police meet & greet, flash mobs and singing. Not all of these objectives were met. However, a couple went over quite well and I would surely consider them successful. One of these was our teacher school supply collection. Not only did we receive huge donations of pencils, pens, paper, glue, markers and hand sanitizer, we also received an amazing basket full of school supplies and goodies from the vendors at the Lansing City Market. Now my job, post peace event, was to figure out a good and fair way of distributing these treasures. I tried calling the Lansing School District to get an email sent out, but never got a call back. My next thought was to use my most fast and accessible means; Facebook. I posted the photo of the basket and asked my 619 friends to send me names of people who they thought would be interested in the basket and who worked at any of the Lansing Schools. I received 13 names. I hope that when we have our Peace of Lansing event in 2013 I will come up with a much better way of raffling off our donations, but for now this was the best I could do. At this point I had been able to combine all the donated school supplies into 6 additional boxes. I had seven boxes/baskets to give away. So I wrote all the names onto individual sheets of paper and put them into a bag. I didn’t want this to end up being me pulling names out of a hat, so I decided to bring in someone from the community; another #lovelansing person. I had a meeting planned in Old Town at 11:30 a.m. so I planned to bring the donations to Old Town and hunt down someone I know who would be willing to draw names out. After my meeting, I quickly scanned the streets for someone I knew; no one. Then I thought, I could walk to Artie’s Filling Station, someone perfect would be there. And I was right! Although there wasn’t anyone there enjoying a specialty coffee, the owner was there. John Miller saw me walking up and opened his window with a smile. Yes, the recently awarded 10 over the Next 10 recipient would be perfect for the job!
I immediately explained what I would need him to do and he was more than eager to assist. Within minutes he had pulled out 7 names, one at a time. I labeled each slip with its winning box number and gave John a small detail about each person. A couple were names I didn’t know; friends of a friend. One was a well deserving community member from Village Summit. Marcus Brown was also my son’s math teacher while he attended Riddle Middle Magnet a few years ago. A few were friends of mine from high school and I was really happy to see their names. Finally the large Lansing City Market basket went to a good friend of mine who recently experienced an emotionally draining death in the family. Despite some thinking the drawing was rigged (her words, not mine) I was entirely happy with the outcome.
I drove to a non-sauntered road and walked my way to Lansing STEM Academy on the south side. In the office I told the secretaries what I was doing and who I needed. The first one I didn’t know; Brett Stallworth, but I was happy to explain why he had won, how he had won and what he had won. He seemed a little confused but over all very appreciative of the gesture. Then it was time for my friend. “They’re still pasting” I was told. “She’ll be here in a minute”. Soon, I saw a single file row of children pass by the window. They silently stood shoulder to shoulder waiting for the next command. The door opened and in walked almost 20 little people. They eagerly listened as Jody explained that I was Miss Ariniko and that I had brought an award for her and all of them.
They ooed and awwwed over the flavored popcorn and pretzels, but even were more excited about the notebooks, cheering with fist pumps into the air. They thanked me and hugged me. They smiled and laughed. They were happy because their teacher was happy. I hugged Jody and was off to make this magic happen all over again at four more locations. What a great day!

*Thank you again to those that donated so that we can make these moments happen. It does make a difference.