Yes, It Applies to You, Too
I've been off for the past two days, having to burn some vacation or lose it. Great days, especially the ability to simultaneously A) sleep in, somewhat, and B) get a run in early. This post is about what I've noticed in the last two days during my runs.
Where I live, there are a lot of places to run, including a lot of Penn State land used for Agricultural Progress days in the summer. I love running there, not only because there is no traffic on the roads at Ag Progress during much of the year, but also because the up and down is challenging but fairly even.
Even better, lately they've been working on route 45, so all the traffic in one section of the road is gone--that's it--gone. A two lane, normally 45 - 55 mile-per-hour road (actually, most people go even faster than that), with fields on either side and the ridge off to the left. Great views, as long as you're not looking to get hit by a car, or by some idiot who decides to pass in a no-passing zone, causing you to leap into the ditches beside the fields. The construction period is pretty much running Nirvana to me, since I can avoid the slant at the side of the road and still have a good surface to run on.
So the last two days I've run down route 45 to the construction zone and back--that gives me a good 1-1.5 miles of the no-traffic-we're-constructing-here, another .5 miles of farm road through Ag Progress, and only a mile or so of actual-traffic-watch-out-road on the way back to my house.
But here's the thing. On both days--BOTH, mind you--at least one driver passed me going really fast toward the construction. At first, I thought perhaps those drivers didn't see the clearly marked "Road Closed" signs they'd passed, but now I think it's something deeper.
You see, it goes kind of like this:
Interestingly, I really see this as an analogy regarding how lots of people (even me, sometimes) look at life. There are rules, but surely they don't apply to me. I'm different. I'm special. I'll just ask them to make an exception. Only, see? You can't. 'Cause Dude, the road is closed. There is no exception, no excuse, and no way to avoid using the detour. It's a little reminder that none of us is too special to be the exception all the time, that the rules are often there for a reason, and that, essentially, we're all equal in some things. The road will no more open for Steve Jobs or Barack Obama than it will for me. And that's nice.
I've spent most of my running time now trying to think up a sign I can hold up to drivers who learn they are not the exception. Something like, "Welcome to your Humanity!" or "Come back soon, and learn who you really are!" Or something. Could be fun.
Where I live, there are a lot of places to run, including a lot of Penn State land used for Agricultural Progress days in the summer. I love running there, not only because there is no traffic on the roads at Ag Progress during much of the year, but also because the up and down is challenging but fairly even.
Even better, lately they've been working on route 45, so all the traffic in one section of the road is gone--that's it--gone. A two lane, normally 45 - 55 mile-per-hour road (actually, most people go even faster than that), with fields on either side and the ridge off to the left. Great views, as long as you're not looking to get hit by a car, or by some idiot who decides to pass in a no-passing zone, causing you to leap into the ditches beside the fields. The construction period is pretty much running Nirvana to me, since I can avoid the slant at the side of the road and still have a good surface to run on.
So the last two days I've run down route 45 to the construction zone and back--that gives me a good 1-1.5 miles of the no-traffic-we're-constructing-here, another .5 miles of farm road through Ag Progress, and only a mile or so of actual-traffic-watch-out-road on the way back to my house.
But here's the thing. On both days--BOTH, mind you--at least one driver passed me going really fast toward the construction. At first, I thought perhaps those drivers didn't see the clearly marked "Road Closed" signs they'd passed, but now I think it's something deeper.
You see, it goes kind of like this:
Runner is running in left-hand lane of road. Car zooms by, Driver looking at Runner like she's an idiot to be running in the middle of the left-hand lane. Driver turns back to driving, only to see that road really is closed. Driver slams on brakes, managing to stop short of the actual barrier.
Driver pauses. Driver continues to pause. Driver pauses some more. Then, slooowwwwly, Driver backs into a driveway, slooowwwwly turns around, and slooowwwwly passes Runner going the other way. Driver now avoids looking at Runner at all costs, in order to preserve his/her dignity.
Interestingly, I really see this as an analogy regarding how lots of people (even me, sometimes) look at life. There are rules, but surely they don't apply to me. I'm different. I'm special. I'll just ask them to make an exception. Only, see? You can't. 'Cause Dude, the road is closed. There is no exception, no excuse, and no way to avoid using the detour. It's a little reminder that none of us is too special to be the exception all the time, that the rules are often there for a reason, and that, essentially, we're all equal in some things. The road will no more open for Steve Jobs or Barack Obama than it will for me. And that's nice.
I've spent most of my running time now trying to think up a sign I can hold up to drivers who learn they are not the exception. Something like, "Welcome to your Humanity!" or "Come back soon, and learn who you really are!" Or something. Could be fun.
How about, "Turns out only you mom thinks you're that special"?