I often go to the park in the morning. Okay, I am exaggerating. In a month or two, I will be able to say that. For now, today is the second day I have gotten up at the crack of 7 to go jogging. My husband reluctantly agreed to go with me, but only after watching me try to squeeze in to a pair of stretch pants. Bah-Dump-Bump.
Well, we chose a park that is gorgeous to look at and even more beautiful to walk through. In the morning, an eclectic group of patrons walk the park trail that is exactly one mile around. Along the way, the wildflowers harmonize with the emerald green field covered with crystal morning dew. The trees are tall and mature, and provide shaded canopy along the way just in case you need a break. Older couples sip fresh coffee as they power walk together, and Aqua-Blue-Shiny-Pants Lady who doesn't speak English breezes by me, but slows down a little when she passes my husband up ahead (Didn't think I noticed that, did you, Maria?!)
It is like exercising in the land of OZ without those annoying little Munchkins all around. You can almost hear the wild life all around singing,"You're out of the woods, you’re out of the dark, you’re out of the night...."
The route is breath-taking. There are three small farms along the trail. I make sure I say good morning to the horses and ponies in the nearby field. I can hear the sheep try and answer for them, even though they are usually hiding behind the chicken pen. Roosters boldly walk out of the pen, hoping one of us can spare a few corn kernels. Then there is me. And Text-Message Guy.
So, this man, Text-Message Guy, walks at a fast pace, fully dressed for a marathon. At first, from behind, I thought he had a cup of coffee in his hand. Upon catching up with him, I realized it was one of those iPhones. He decided to slow down to my pace, making it look like we were walking together, which was pretty irritating, but he never looked up from his phone. No matter what my pace was, I couldn't get away from this guy. You know what? He never put the phone back in his pocket. Never looked up. Never even made a call. He just walked the entire mile, smiling and giggling to his screen. The last quarter, I was forced to actually run, because I was tired of co-piloting with him. My husband, who can run a mile in under eight minutes, impatiently waited for me near our car as I realized I had spent my entire run wondering why Text-Message guy had so much activity going on. I was annoyed, but it became a game as I wondered when he was going to come up for air. He never did.
As I came off the course to get in the car with my more than annoyed husband, I stared as Text-Message guy continued on to do another mile. I bet he never knew I was there! As for Maria Shinypants, oh, I will be watching you, my pretty. And your swingy, little pony-tail, too!
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