When I need to clear my head, the best thing I can do is put a leash on one of my dogs and head for the streets of Broad Ripple. A brisk walk around the village can really lift me out of my preoccupations. Although this is not like the meditation I do in my backyard, meandering the lively Broad Ripple sidewalks is a wonderful way to regain balance.

I rarely walk on the Monon Trail for this stress relief. Instead, I most enjoy parking near La Piedad, the Mexican eatery, and heading north through the part of the village dominated by houses. I really enjoy eyeing the houses, be they homes, businesses, for sale, or just empty (there are fewer of these all the time). I think about the days 25 years ago when I tried to imagine a business I could start in one of these cottages. I reminisce about working the Broad Ripple Art Fair when it occupied the streets before moving to the open field south of the Art League. I spot where my booths were located, remembering how my then young son kept me company as I hawked my art.

As my mind-clearing walk continues, I like to dip down into the business part of Broad Ripple. I walk buy the storefronts that used to be a grocery, a garden center (Hoosier Gardener), my pediatrician's offices above the old Maplehurst, Renee's, Stewarts, the shoe shop, Ed Schock's Toy and Hobby Shop, the post office, Murphy's, Blocks, and on and on. Now, the windows of shops including Marigold, Broad Ripple Trophy Shop (Tom and I went to high school together), and Artifacts provide "eye candy" for my stroll. My dog patiently waits for me as I explore the tried and true and the new shops on the blocks. Morning, afternoon, or evening, I can while away time and somehow return home feeling less stressed and with restored calm. It's the kind of feeling I would get going to my parents' home as an adult. I guess that's what Broad Ripple is to me. . . ..the place that feels like home.