Trip #518 Gray Street to Cowan Street, Mount Washington, Pittsburgh took place on November 4, 2020, and was published on November 23, 2020.
We spend a great deal of time trying to “fix” people we perceive as not living up to their potential. Sometimes, we have good intentions: we genuinely want the best for those we care about, and because of that, we’ll manipulate, badger, incentivize, and punish them until they become the people they should be! This striving for pre-determined outcomes causes so much stress and disharmony in our lives, and is anyone ever better off because of it? Author and meditation teacher Jack Kornfield has a great quote that I re-read whenever I’m struggling with “my” wishes for another person. “Peace requires us to surrender our illusions of control. We can love and care for others, but we cannot possess our children, lovers, family, or friends. We can assist them, pray for them, and wish them well, yet in the end, their happiness and suffering depend on their thoughts and actions, not on our wishes.” As the holiday season is soon upon us, let’s try to celebrate, support, and commiserate with our loved ones and their decisions—a bit more peace and harmony would be nice, wouldn’t it?
Field Notes: Most times, when you look at the historical view on Google Street View, the image from 2007 is better than what you see today (at least as far as city steps are concerned). But in this instance, the flight has obviously been taken over by the owner of the two buildings at the top. It’s now expanded, has lattice-work, and improved railings. I also love the 5th-grade graduation sign that is still out front. I hope Davine is handling 6th grade OK during these crazy COVID times…
Love city steps? Get yourself the latest issue of Mis.Steps: Our Missed Connections with Pittsburgh’s City Steps! Each copy is unique and features 10 randomly selected “trading cards” of Pittsburgh’s 739 public stairways. Visit the Mis.Steps online store to see all issues and place your order.
Want to visit these stairs? You can locate them on the Pittsburgh City Steps Plan website!
Be a good neighbor! Have you visited these stairs and found them in poor condition or that illegal dumping (large items like tires, old furniture, and construction debris) and trash were abundant in the area? There are two things you can do to take action and make our city steps cleaner and safer for everyone! First, grab a photo if you can, and submit a report to Pittsburgh 311. All problems, both broken stairs, and railings, as well as trash and dumping, should be reported to the city. You can easily do this online or by calling.
