Having my first official “Therapy Walk” — Neomi Gooch
So it’s a Monday afternoon, I just spent three hours in the library writing an essay about my connection to literature, and did not even finish it. Did I just spend thirty minuets crying feeling like a complete failure? Yes, yes I did. I am overwhelmed but, maybe this walk will be good for me. I took a deep breath, popped my AirPods in, and pressed play to “Guide to Getting Lost” by Jennie Savage.
I start my walk by leaving the Quad turning left on on Sheffield, there is a group of friends behind me talking about recreational marijuana something I could use right about now. Just kidding… I turned right on a residential street, there is a lot of construction work under the redline seems like there is a house being renovated. There is a beautiful house with green trimmed window it is welcoming, I hope to own something like this one day.
As I turn left onto Lincoln Ave leaving the residential street I am surrounded by restaurants and bars, which most are still closed until 6. I see friends having lunch, and coworkers discussing projects. A lady passes to the right of me the smell of her perfume swifts around me. It is a familiar smell, it is similar to my friend Elizabeths perfume. I am reminded of how much I miss her and how we won’t be celebrating her birthday together this year. As I turn right continuing on to Lincoln I still feel an overwhelming feeling of anxiety. I miss my hometown friends, I miss knowing where everything is and yet I am so much happier compared to high school. As I turn left onto Fullerton I approach a unique restaurant, it looks like they are hiring. I am thinking I should apply not only because I am completely broke but, it looks like a place I could grow and be happy.
As I continue down Fullerton it slowly becomes a residential street, the street is filled with traffic assuming people are on their commute home. Across the street I someone on their phone standing so still I almost convinced myself they are a statue. Which makes me think how am I perceived by others when I am just going about my day.
It is 4:00 pm and there is are many parents walking with their kids from a nearby Elementry school. I miss the days where after a long day my mom would just pick me up and get me a muffin but, I am old now. I am passing by a Presbyterian church it is really pretty and I am not sure if I have ever seen one now that I think about it.
As I take a right on to the next street a man on the phone is passing me by and he says “Did Julia and Andrew get into a screaming match at one point?”. It makes me regret not doing the “following a stranger” prompt I really wanted to know what the screaming match was about. I continue to walk down the residential street and I notice a tree with a unique pattern of roots and fungi growing. I think it is interesting how Lincoln Park is a mix of lively hidden nature and busy businesses and resturants. Amongst all the chaos that society has created the value of nature and simplicity is deeply rooted throughout this neighborhood. Making my problems seem small in certain ways.
I am starting to make my way back on to Lincoln Ave through the directions Jennie is giving me. Parents are struggling to detach their kids from one another they seem to not want to leave their friends. I pass a mom who tells another mom “I promised them g-e-l-a-t-o if they went to school”. She spells it out so they do not through a fit I am assuming. After walk down Lincoln for a while I some how end up in a alley. It is a decent alley much nicer than mine, which has to do with the different types of architecture of the houses in this neighborhood. The more time I spend in Lincoln Park, the less connected I feel to my neighborhood where I have spent the majority of my life living in. I think it is because of the independence I have here, I am rediscovering my likes and dislikes in a new place. Which is something I am sure many DePaul students to relate to being here we are creating our past, present, and future. something we will one day reminisce on.
I end my journey by passing by OZ park and turning back onto Lincoln Ave, I feel so much better from when I first started my journey. As I was getting lost throughout Lincoln Park I slowly forgot about my stresses and anxious feelings.
MAP
Response Question
In Paris, or Botanizing the Asphalt the idea of “losing oneself in a city” is brought to light. My connection to this idea is that when I am walking through the city there is so much to be distracted by that it is easy to forget what worries and stresses you are dealing with. When using the observation during a walk you are paying attention to others perception of life. This does not only apply to people but places as well, when you are perceiving a place you are imaging what goes on there and maybe it is a place you would like to go to. I lost myself during this walk it gave me an opportunity to decompress my mind and I found ways to resolve my personal situation. In a way by me “losing myself” I was discovering a different form of therapy, I now understand how walking can be an escape from reality. (156)
