I Stand Corrected
>> 10/8/11
Those who wanted a record breaking summer got their wish.
The season's dying gasps resulted in three days of 103, 106, and 107 degree heat. That was enough to break the old record plus one or two to grow on. We were close to the century mark again on September 30.
Should have known. If you don't like the weather in Texas then just wait awhile. It'll change.
Nights are cooler now. Darkness comes earlier. Fall, though tardy, has arrived.
Backyards where children screamed bloody murder while immersed in poolside water wars are conspicuously silent now. All good things eventually come to an end.
Muffled music and conversation still float over a privacy fence as another yard is passed. Adults spend these last glorious weekends together in the company of friends before the arrival of cold weather. Most will soon be hibernating in heated houses until spring's warmth returns.
Something sizable rustles elbow high in the bushes along the sidewalk. Though startled, I never break stride. Nothing good could come from investigating its origin. Curiosity is not always a virtue. Best we move on in our predetermined trajectories.
A patchwork of clouds drifts overhead. Radiant moonlight adds a silver highlight to irregular edges. They spread across the sky like randomly distributed pieces of an unsolved jigsaw puzzle awaiting assembly by some greater hand.
Occupants of a car scream simultaneously as they pass on the back portion of the run. Why does a lone runner provoke that primal cry from those who barrel by?
Maybe it’s the “lone” portion of the equation rather than the “runner” that elicits their bellowing bombardment. Or perhaps wispy white hair says that this old man is no threat to the vitality of youth.
Nothing good could come from acknowledging the commotion they create. The best way to repel hostile harassment lobbed from moving vehicles is to focus on the goal before me while they speed on their way.
Through the years I've learned to listen for their approach. Mind and body deny them the involuntary panic they intend. My response is unaltered forward motion and a smile.
The last corner is negotiated and the bright orb of Venus peaks through a break in the clouds. She hovers there as though guiding me back to the car and the end of this night’s exertion.
I’m not sure what purpose this blog will serve in the days ahead. But I am running again.
And that’s a really good thing.
3 comments:
Temperatures bearable for running again IS a good thing. Though I still don't know how you can do it at night. Yikes.
I am running again, and that's a good thing as well:)
It always is, no matter the purpose of the blog.
Best blog description? Yours: "While out running thoughts run through my head. You'll find the overflow here."
That's the only way I view it.
BTW, you and Pamela are invited to a home-warming:)
Both of us run by our "altar" spot often, and personally, I never forget to say "I do". May be because we somehow forgot that part during, it is important now.
And I still "do".
Lesley -- According to a poll by Runner's World (Oct. 2011, page 19) 35% of the 6513 runners surveyed run between 5 p.m. and midnight. Maybe I'm not as odd as I've always thought.
Olga -- Thanks. Glad to hear you are out on the trails again. Long break in Varlamova terms, eh?
I appreciate the invitation to the house warming more than I can say. Would love to see your place and try out some Russian food.
One of the many things the church did for my 25 anniversary was to give me an extra week of vacation. We may be out of the state during November. But I'll check with Pamela when she gets back from her trip and get back to you.
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