July 20, 2016 HELLO

When you run in the same neighborhoods for several years, you start to ask yourself, Why don't people just say hi?  Just because someone says, "Hi," doesn't mean they want to be BFF's right? Anyways, a few years back, I made a bold move---I would say good morning or hello to every person I saw while out running. Of  course, my comrades thought I was crazy, but they accept my idiosyncrasies--so they went with it. We see many people when we are out running including the young, old, homeless, lonely, helpless--you never know. I remind myself that  I may be the only person acknowledging that person on a given day-- and a kind word can go a long way.  Many people are shocked and taken aback  when I look at them and say good morning, some ignore me, but others smile back with a kind reply.
One morning I think it was last year, I was running my usual route which goes under a train overpass. Train overpasses are a little creepy, especially, if you are running under one at the same time as a train flies through. SCARY. The whole thing rattles and shakes and you feel like the train is going to fall on your head. Anyways, I ran  under the overpass and came upon a man sitting in a little alleyway crying hysterically. He looked strung out--I frightened him  as much as he frightened me. I looked at the man and spoke a few kind words. He looked in my direction in acknowledgment. I don't know why, but I still think about him every time I run under the overpass. I wonder if he ever got the help he clearly needed. I hope so.

While on the subject of trains and overpasses, one of the main characters in the psychological thriller, Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins reminds me of the man I ran into that day. There are actually three main characters in the story who take turns telling their story in first person narrative. Rachel is a 32 yr old alcoholic with a myriad of issues--she's obsessive, compulsive, lonely, self-destructive--you name it.  One day while riding the train to work, she believes she witnesses an event that is important to a murder investigation. Anna, another  character, is a young mother married to Rachel's ex-husband ,Tom, who is a neighbor of Megan, the third  character telling the story.  She is beautiful and seemingly perfect to Rachel who watches her from the train each day. Rachel becomes obsessed with Megan and her husband and her perception of their life.  These three women's lives become intertwined in unimaginable, frightening ways. I don't want to say more than that because I don't want to ruin it for you. I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy, quick read of 336 pages--only a 5k--and worth every step. I didn't figure it out until almost the end which made it even more fun to read. I really loved the ending too--So hop on the train--you'll be glad you did. Also, remember to spread a little kindness today--just say hello.