I love walking alone because...

Campus Gothic. Or, The Chapel of Memories. Whatever

Rounding to home base. Or, back to the library. Whatever.

 

 

My scary walk face. Except my actual walk face
 is LESS smiley. D'oh!

True Story time:

I must have been walking at a decent clip when I first started out. Though the idea of me walking much faster than a slug is sorta funny because flat feet, bad knees and out of shapedness and all. But I must have been or seemed to have been or something as I headed across the drill field someone yelled out, "Get it, gurl." in that encouraging way that women do when they see others doing something noteworthy.

Naturally, I was in full-on walk mode, not really paying attention and very likely making the face above when I looked up. My first thought is that the woman must have seen someone she knew walking behind me and her comment was directed to that person. But no. Just me. She was talking to me. And I know when I looked up I must have looked fierce or mad or something because she just sort of shrugged, giggled nervously and kept walking. The man behind her (her husband? boyfriend?) smiled and said hello.

I think I tried to relax my facial muscles into a smile. But ya'll. I was concentrating. lol

I do ponder, though, how she knew I was out walking for health and not for pleasure. The intense face? The New Balance shoes with my dress slacks?

I crossed paths with them again as I reached the home stretch back toward the library and they both fell out laughing. So I'm guessing I was likely the butt of a few jokes after our initial passing. Which is alright. I know I am ridiculous. And I know the fierce look on  my face was probably laughable. And I'm okay with that. I'm slowly learning not to care what strangers think of me. It's a tough lesson to learn but I'm trying.

I've spent so much of my life worried about how people perceived me. And not in the deep "I hope they see Jesus in me" sort of way but rather in the shallow, "I hope nobody notices how ridiculous I am" way. Which is ridiculous in itself because honestly, the ONLY concern I should every have about other people's perceptions of me--strangers or friends--is whether or not they see Jesus in me. And sad to say, most times? They probably don't. :-/