GYPSY GIRL'S GUIDE

Colorful Steps, San Francisco, 2006

One of my favorites spots in the Sunset District is a magical stairway located at the intersection of Moraga St & 16th Ave. When I drive by it on my way to work, I always see a couple of ladies doing very energetic moves half way to the top. My boyfriend and I call them the "flying ladies", because they seem way up there in the sky, and they make wide circling movements with their arms as if they were just about to take off. It's an adorable sight that always brings joy to our ride in the morning. And I'm sure the ladies appreciate exercising with the beautiful view of the ocean from up there.

Whenever I can, I try to climb the 163 steps myself on my usual weekends walks. Every time I do that, I feel happier and inspired, as opposed to what I'd normally feel at the bottom of ordinary concrete stairs! It's easy to start with such an inviting and colorful design. But it gets even easier to keep going, when you look closer and notice all the details of sea creatures, birds and flowers at every step of the way. I had noticed too, that the steps had family and business names embedded on the tiles. So in the last couple of days, I decided to research and find out who was behind this great project. That's when I found the Tiled steps website .

It turns out that the stairs are a result of a beautiful community effort that started in 2003 and was inaugurated in August 2005. It involved hundreds of neighbors committed to create something that would bring more beauty to their community. To my total surprise, I also discovered that the project was actually inspired by a stairway in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Imagine that? According to their website, Jesse Audette who was one of the organizers, lived in Rio for 5 years and enjoyed going up similar steps in Santa Tereza. Check out the Santa Tereza steps here. (Santa Tereza, by the way, is a fantastic place that I recently visited in the beginning of this year. If you go to Rio, definitely check it out. It's got lots of "off the beaten track charm".)

Suddenly, a walk around the Sunset became even more special to me. First of all, I'm happy to know that home is just a step away now. But not only that, the "Tiled Steps Project" gave me the motivation to think about how I can also be more proactive and bring people together, to create something that can affect the community in a positive manner. A sincere idea for bringing more joy to the world goes a long way.

Where is that great idea you've been holding onto? Let's hold our ideas together and put them into action! Shall we? I have a feeling the world needs them...

And what can you find out about the area where you live, that may allow you to feel more connected to your surroundings and engaged in your community?

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And of course, I just found this great book: Stairway Walks in San Francisco. So I'm sure I will be going on more stairway adventures soon.