Just to start I am going to say that I getting realllllly tired of yogurt and bananas, which is all I can eat since the stomach flu a week ago. I don’t know what crisis my gut biome is going through but I’m very much over it. >:(
That said, this morning’s walk around Lake Ella was pleasant: dark and cool and placid. A couple of the regulars were there, circling in the opposite direction. I always feel more comfortable going clockwise around the pond but apparently I’m the minority, as most early morning exercisers go counter-clockwise for reasons I don’t understand.
There is one older man who I see about five days out of seven, although I could not tell you his schedule, if he has one. He’s short and has brown leathery skin (which reminds me of my father’s deep berry-tone mid-summer tan) and he speaks with a thick accent that I can’t place. Every time our paths cross, he stops and waves and says the exact same thing: “Good morning! You have a nice day and take care of yourself!”
I respond, “Thank you! You too!” and off we go. It’s not just me, he pretty much says that to anyone who is willing to make eye contact with him, every single morning, every single time.
It’s notable because it is so unusual; most people will glance and look away quickly, if at all, with a half-hearted “good morning” or suchlike. There is one woman who jogs there irregularly whom I have learned to treat as a ghost — she wants absolutely nothing to do with anyone she passes. I respect that, of course, but it is marked contrast to most people who at least go through the semblance of polite greetings, and the exact opposite of the charming oddball man who is effusive with everyone.
Still, that man and I, we’re the the most consistent visitors. Will I be him one day?