Not to brag, but I said hi to four people on my trail run today.
And the last one made my day.
I was towards the end of my loop, and I’d just realized I was past the section at the top of the hill where I usually take a break. After slogging my way up through the trees, I’d reached the spot where, in my head, I’d made the deal with myself that I could walk and let my lungs recover. But I’d seen two people hiking toward me and for some reason I thought “New plan: keep running until after they pass.” So I did. And I made a point of saying hi to them. “Enjoy your hike!” I’d even called over my shoulder through ragged breaths.
So now, I’m picking my way down the hill and I feel my cheeks momentarily go taught. My lips are pulling them in one direction while my eyebrows yank them skyward. I’ll be damned... looks like I’m running the rest without stopping. Almost immediately, I’m back to focusing on my breathing, though. I notice I slowed down somewhere along the way so now I’m also trying to lengthen my stride but without quickening my pace.
A pink shirt appears on the right side of the trail up ahead from behind the trees. As I get closer I see that it’s an older person—well, older than me—wearing a fanny pack and leggings.
“Hi!” I say.
She looks up, and responds with a simple “hello.” Her voice is gentle, amiable. She gives a soft, closed-mouth grin and looks back toward where she’s headed.
“Enjoy your hike!” I wheeze.
“Wha—”
Her eyes blink and the color seems to return to her face. I hadn’t realized it’d been gone in the first place, but she’s standing up taller now and her head tilts to the side just slightly as a full, open-mouthed smile takes over.
“Oh! Thank you! You too!” she says with a bounce.
I’ve been working on assuming that people want to hear from me/ interact with me/ may even be excited by my presence. Unfortunately, that’s not even close to my default... But that’s why I’ve been pushing myself to say hi to more people.
And when I get to my truck, still running without having stopped, I think maybe I’m standing a bit taller now, too.
Our Daily MAP Year Prompt
338/365
Do you say hi to the people you pass? Why?
onward.
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