I just held a wonderful first Street Wisdom walk in Reading. I was privileged to share the experience with people who were open to trying something new and open to what the streets told them.
What I saw and heard made me smile, laugh, question myself and think differently about who I might be, how I might be. Two young girls sang in astonishingly pure, rich voices: “raise your hopeful voice”. A coffee shop gave me advice about dealing with life’s blows: Frappes: “cool down, perk up”; and the life lesson “take what you need”.
I saw a bicycle made from old pipework; completely misshapen, original and a working machine. I noticed a stand with three hooks….it was the absence of a lifebelt.
A tramp said, “look after yourself”. A girl, said “hate pigeons.” I think that just meant she hated pigeons. The streets are full of answers…and other stuff!
Louise Ordish
First of all I would like to say a big thank you to Louise Ordish for organising and facilitating the Street Wisdom walk.
The preparation and tuning in process worked really well for me. The practical consequence of this was that all of my senses were engaged during the Street Wisdom walk. This meant that when the more subtle sights, sounds, smells, tastes and feelings came my way from the streets of Reading I was paying attention. The recurring themes were about reducing resistance (letting go), opening up to opportunities staring me in the face and acting upon them!
Moments after realising all of the above a bus immediately came into view with the message “Get ready to take on the world”!
Stephen Cotterell
