There is something about biking The City that carries me home. Home as a state of mind. A way of relaxation without recognizing that physical exertion, push after push of a pedal, is the serenity that I’ve been seeking.

My first month spent in Detroit was too slow on two feet. I needed something more to help me explore, to get to know the city beyond my surrounding few blocks and Sunday morning run up Second Street. After a few failed attempts, my bicycle finally entered the picture. A big thanks to The Hub – for their work, their product, their ideas.

Add art to the riding experience. A calm darkness, with a warmth still in the air, but teetering on that edge of fall crispness. Surrounded by murals. Words. Protected and covered in the Dequindre Cut from unnecessary motorized vehicles. Allowing thoughts to wander; responsibility slows to crank after crank and debating whether to hold onto handlebars.

The slow and solo ride reminds me of my nights in Chicago, on the way home from yet another production of 2nd Story – their own local version of NPR’s The Moth – and passing by the murals that line the wall of the industrial train tracks in Pilsen. Detroit creates connections effortlessly.

Creative. An adjective or noun I seek in others. It is stories told, artistic expressions shared, healing music made, or soul-cleansing dance encouraged. Sara is creative. She lives these examples day after day. “The Sara” is a dance move teaching each of us to hold unparalleled excitement for freedom.

Riding down the Dequindre Cut, the mural of the hands made me stop my cathartic pace. Sara is in Ecuador. I miss her often; particularly during this Detroit journey. The hands on the wall were a representation of her as a creative. Hands – a symbol of giving, but moreover a symbol of interconnectivity.

Sara has taught me that relationships matter, opportunities matter and the intersection of people, culture and place can be the most difficult, yet beautiful, experiences of our collective lives. Detroit carries me home. Home as a state of mind. A way of finding the harmony among rotations on bicycles, down pathways of art, and connecting old with new.

Hands on the Dequindre Cut, Detroit