Oblivious

I have decided to set a goal to make at least 3 entries on this blog per week, even if they are short ones. I’d love to post something every day, but I don’t think I have enough interesting things to say to keep that going, and I certainly don’t have enough time (at least not during the school year). Even if no one reads these posts (a distinct possibility), it’s good for me to write and out some thoughts down on paper (or in cyberspace).

I’ve been feeling extremely lazy in recent days, so getting out of bed early this morning to run was a monumental task. These early morning runs will become more frequent for me as the temperature and humidity continue to rise here in South Texas. My run was decent (there was a slight breeze at times) until last few minutes when I almost got hit by a truck. I like to think that I am in tune with my surroundings when I run, and I definitely noticed this guy (maybe a woman) backing out of his driveway on the opposite side (right) of the street. Since I was on the opposite sidewalk, I didn’t worry too much – until the truck continued backing up, all the way into the driveway across the street! I had to jump into the grass to avoid being hit. Good thing I was paying attention, because he/she certainly wasn’t.

This encounter made me realize (I’ve thought about this a lot recently) just how oblivious to our surroundings most people are. Maybe I have just noticed it more because I run, but it seems that very few people pay attention, or maybe more people feel entitled to their “space”. For example, what ever happened to people looking both ways before crossing a street, watching for cars in parking lots, and giving a courtesy wave for being let out into traffic? I have noticed more and more people just walking out into the street, in parking lots, or into traffic, as if this is their right, assuming that everyone else should make way for them. I’m not sure if I explained this well or just confused people with my mini rant, but it has bothered me lately. I guess this is one reason I love the trails so much. Other than the occasional rock, root, or slithery creature, one can tune out the outside world on the trails.