Running Track

Woo hoo! Link to Japanese dating site that mysteriously appeared has gone! (Might have been the browser Mark? I don't know but...)

A couple of weeks ago I discovered that early in the morning the roads around our local market square become an exercise path. Each morning about a dozen people run or walk around these flat, sealed streets. I've started to become a bit of a regular too. I join them two or three times per week for about half an hour. The only unpleasant part of the track is one corner where the rubbish is dumped. The bins are always overflowing onto the ground and spilling out onto the road too. At this point in my circuit I cross the street and try not to breathe too deeply! The other regulars all do the same.

This morning I noticed that there are some people for whom the rubbish pile isn't something to be avoided. It is the focus of their attention. The adults walk purposefully towards it with their small carts and the kids carry their empty rice sakcs. They all search amongst the scraps. I wondered what my brief fit of early morning exercise might look to those who spend most of their day walking the streets? Each of the adults had a scarf wrapped around their head and face. I'd always though this was to protect them from the sun but today I wondered if they might be hiding from my eyes as well?

I'll spend most of today at various desks studying. This is a necessary and, at times, protective isolation. Yet as I am able to participate more in this culture, I want to remain open to noticing the people in this city (and in many others) who often go unnoticed. The stench of the rubbish on the market corner will be a small but constant reminder.