The Power of a Guided Walk

Walking through the fair with a "carny"

One of my favorite activities of the Spiritual Listening Plan is the Guided Walk. It’s a simple concept: ask a neighbor to walk with you through your community and point out what they see, what stories they can tell you about the neighborhood, what places are meaningful to them and why.

Everyone is an expert of their neighborhood in their own way. When I was a kid I could tell you where in my neighborhood to find comic books, baseball cards, and the best unmarked trails to ride your mountain bike. My buddy JP showed me where all the hidden homeless camps were around Boone. I met someone a few months back who was describing where all the pockets of Ethiopian immigrants live in Charlotte. By asking your neighbors to show you your community through their eyes it will help you see your neighborhood with fresh eyes.

Recently, I heard a great example of a guided walk on my favorite podcast, This American Life. Imagine walking through a state fair: the smells (good and bad), the sounds of conversation, the displays, the animals, the ribbons, and then you turn the corner and enter into the carnival games. What might you see? What could you observe? What would you miss?

Now listen to this clip and imagine you’re walking with Bailey Leavitt, who grew up in a family of “Carnies,” as she walks with Ira Glass, points out the names of people and things. See what she sees (skip to the 8:30 mark):

It’s fall, the perfect time of year for a walk. Who might walk with you? A listening team from a church in a suburb of Charlotte that I’m working with through the Spiritual Listening Plan is going to ask a resident from each nearby subdivision to walk them through their neighborhood. Who can you ask?

Put on your walking shoes and your listening ears and get out there!

Let me know how it goes in a comment below.