More Than a Hello

Near the end of my Saturday run, I passed by another fellow human. He was working his way down the sidewalk; I was cruising - homeward bound.
He said, “Hello - How is your day?” Mummified – I blurted out “OK.”
Didn’t he see I was running – I couldn’t just stop and tell him the infinite details of my marvelous life!
In a flutter of seconds – I passed him.
Then I felt ashamed.

But first let me tell you about him.
He looked about my age perhaps a smidge older – dressed in a suit and tie. He was walking very awkwardly on crutches. As I did a quick scan, (runners are very good at this) I noticed he had special shoes on. Made of black polished leather. The left shoe had a 3 inch sole lift on it.
In a flutter of seconds – I passed him.
Then I felt ashamed.

I quietly asked myself - how was his day going… Was it his first walk on a new leg? Had he been born with a handicap? Or was he walking slowly because he was in extreme pain – recovering from surgery or perhaps a car crash.
The only thing I know for sure is that I should have stopped and talked to this stranger.
If you have a chance - read this related post at Life 2.0
[Blogging's Hidden Jewel]

“Almost everybody avoided his eye and darted off. One or two people looked at him warily. Nobody said 'hello '…

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Trees I Run By

Under every tree - patches of light – dancing. As I run by, sunlight filters through the canopy - catching the dust as it settles.

--- Trees I Run By ---

Corylus avellana L.
common filbert

In the summer I run along the north side of this filbert / hazelnut orchard. Not only do I appreciate the shade, but the serene surroundings.
There are still several small orchards around my neighborhood. They are interspersed between subdivisions and power lines. In a battle of who will survive – I think urban sprawl is winning…
Luckily, a bird dropped a nut in our backyard 2 years ago and we now have a healthy 3 foot shrub.

Notes:

• Indians used hazelnuts to make soup.
• The nut falls out of the lacy husk when it is ripe.
• They are rich in nutrients! Including Iron.
• The first commercial filbert orchard in the United States was here in the Eugene area at Dorris Ranch.
• Frangelico is a liqueur made with hazelnuts.

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Running, Reflection and Writing

I don’t pretend to be a great writer and that’s why I read books like this - Writing Without Teachers.
In school I was drawn to the sciences – not the arts. So here I am – older than many and still can’t write a proper paragraph.
But Elbow explains the structure and housekeeping work of writing is the last thing you should worry about.
He stresses the importance of freehand writing. Just sit back let the stuff pour out. (I suppose you should use a pen but I’m more comfortable with MS Word.) And then go back over the material. Is there a main point or topic? If so write it down. Use this sentence as the focus and try to expand on it. Then and only then do outlines, corrections, editing, etc…
This style of writing sounds so relaxing. The only problem I see is the lack of time to spread out all my thoughts.
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Today's Run

Quality of Run: Streamline
Route:

Total Miles: 5.2
Type of Workout: With 1 mile Tempo – 8:08
Feel Good Stretch: Inner thigh
Ku:
3 garden gnomes
appearing out of the shade
a dragonfly

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