Every morning I walk my dog at 4:30am. Whether it’s warm, cold, clear, cloudy, rainy or icy, we’re out there for our 45 minute morning walk.
We walk the same route every day. There’s only one other person out regularly at that time – my 4:30AM girlfriend. She is a runner. She runs M-F, the same route, the same time, rain or shine. We say good morning as we pass each other.
Other than good morning, we’ve only had two other conversations in over a year.
- Once, I spoke to her about the smoke in the air, which I had learned was from a fire in the recycling dump nearby.
- Another time, the shadows caused an illusion and I swore she was pushing a stroller as she ran. I told her that and she laughed replying, “Those days are long past for me.”
One entire week she didn’t show up. I assume she was on vacation but I never motioned it. After my surgery, I took a week off. I she noticed she never said anything.
I’d like to have a real conversation with her someday. It would require us meeting outside of our “usual” time. But I’m not sure how to initiate it without potentially creeping her out. The last thing I’d want to do is screw up her morning routine by causing her to worry about a stalker at 4:30am.
I’ll keep my eye out for an opportunity.
Many years ago, I rode my bike to the gym in the early mornings, 365 days a year in Pittsburgh. There was one hardcore runner out at that time who I saw everyday. I shouted out my name and asked hers after seeing her every morning for weeks. After that, we’d always wave and say hello when we passed each other by.
She was hard core. While I was bundled up in multiple layers, mittens and a ski mask, she would run in shorts and a sweatshirt. Only during the worst winter storms would she throw on a coat.
One day I was picking up bagels at Panera when I spied a woman eating breakfast who looked familiar. I stopped by her her table and asked if it was her. It was! I introduced myself and we chatted for 20 minutes. I leaned she and her husband had moved to Pittsburgh after living in Florida and that she ran marathons. Coincidentally, my wife and I had moved from Pittsburgh to Florida and then back.
After our encounter, our routine remained unchanged until I moved once again, back to Florida.
Around that same time, I would walk my two dogs Ziggy and Shortie, on the trails in the woods of Frick Park for an hour every day. On hot days, it was cooler in the woods. On cold days, I’d bundle up and put a jacket on little Shortie. Ziggy was impervious to the cold – he loved it.
We fridge up and down the hills. Sometimes it was muddy. Sometimes I’d let them roam off leash – unless there was a nearby animal carcass or pile of turds because Shortie couldn’t resist eating and rolling in these.
Everyday, we’d see the Woman and her Brittany Spaniel. Like us, they would walk in rain, snow, sleet and hail. She wore a green hooded rain slicker year-round and reminded me of the Unabomber. But after seeing her everyday for months I introduced myself and the dogs. Occasionally we’d walk together if our routes and timing coincided.
There’s something special about seeing the same people everyday. I recognize a number of regulars at my pool and have introduced myself to a few of them.
On my afternoon dog walks through the woods, I regularly see an elderly Chinese couple, the Birdwatchers, and a few regular walkers. We usually just wave and continue on our way. Occasionally, we have a conversation about the trail, the dog, the birds or the weather.
On my evening dog walk around the neighborhood, I run into many of the same people. I imagine they think of me as “the dog walking man in the hat”. I think of them as the guy with 3 dogs, the golden doodle man with his 3 biking blond kids, the lady with the powerlifter legs, the old lady, the porch sitters, the lawn mowing teenager and the corner house people.
You might think that I’d get bored walking the same routes every day. You’d be wrong. I mark the seasons on my walks – observing the changes to the grass and the trees. I see houses painted a new color, roofs being installed, yards being turfed and decks built. I see kids growing up before my eyes. I see families moving out and new families moving in. It’s endlessly fascinating.
In the worst of times, I come home drenched or freezing. In the best of times, I make a new friend or enjoy a stunning day.
There are times when I miss having my wife around to join me for my evening walk. We walked the dogs together most evenings for the 20 years the we had dogs.
But many evenings, I simply enjoy my walk with Wiggles. She’s good company and always up for a stroll.
And I keep trudging.