“You'll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.” - Dr. Seuss "Oh, The Places You'll Go"
As a runner, you probably notice that you have seen and experienced a lot. I know I have. There are the unpleasant smells of overflowing garbage, morning exhaust from commuters and the occasional poor furry soul that did not make it across the road safely. There are the sounds of car horns and occasionally, yet unwanted cat calls fading the background noise of the trees swaying in the breeze and bird tweeting their songs. Then there are the people you experience.
Honestly, when I first began my trek as a runner, I would be intimidated by certain figures that I would share the roads and sidewalks with. I always had a worst case scenario in mind, but of course nothing happened. What I realized over time is very rarely will anyone do anything to mess up your run. People are actually quite friendly, as long as you share the sidewalk and give a friendly smile. I have seen other runners, stroller moms, kids hiking home from school, stray animals and even some disheveled but friendly passersby. For example, one evening I was three quarters of the way home on my run, when I was passing a man with a brown paper bag in his hand. I smiled an continued on. Throughout the week I realized that this same man used this route home with his brown paper bag in his right hand. While there is a stigma that can go with someone who constantly has a brown paper bag in-hand, I realized that was not this man. He was very friendly and always smiled when I passed. Who knows, maybe he just liked a cold drink on his way home, maybe the drink was for someone else. All I knew is he was smart for walking and was very friendly. Stigma gone.
Just because some people do what you are not used to, look different to or do something that you don't see yourself doing (like waiting for the city bus), does not mean that they are bad people. I know I did a lot of assuming, especially in the early or later hours of the day when the sun was still resting with the rest of the city. I had to realize that they want to feel safe no more than anyone else - including the homeless. They have no safe home to run to when something goes awry. Besides, how suspicious does someone running in the dark look? What am I running from and why am I running? Everyone has a stigma of people they do not know and we need to overcome that. The crime rate for people exercising is very very low and when it does happen, it is a rare occurrence. Most people do not want to be in your business as much as you don't want to be in theirs. Be friendly running and encourage others to drop their possible stigma of runners by sharing the sidewalk or a smile. A little bit goes a long way...although, I do still have a stigma of a guy trying to get my number just because I looked damn good in my stretchy workout pants =P
Just be nice- it is so easy to change someone's day with a smile or "hi".
Happy Running Y'all!
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