There's some dumb saying about the view never changing when you're at the back of the pack, but I disagree. I spend a considerable amount of time in the back and you really can take in a lot. I usually stand in the back of a club when I go to see a show (unless the Scorchers are on stage) and every once in a while I like to survey the crowd and try to assess other people's experience. Sometimes I do the same thing in a meeting at work, or at church. It's not people-watching so much as just assessing the vibe of a place, stepping outside yourself for a minute and considering what other perspectives are taking place.
This morning I was thinking about what persuades people to get up early on a Saturday morning, put on their little outfits, meet in some place on the edge of the city and run 10 kilometers when the temperature is already almost 80 degrees. I watched from the rear as a long line of people snaked past the fountains and parking lots of Metro Center. I walked the 5K, which put me behind the 5K runners, who were behind the 10K runners. And I wondered who, if anyone, might be behind me.
There were a couple of people, for the record, and one woman who was just a few paces back. I exchanged a few comments with her, always a bit of a risk when each of you is obviously there for a walk, and at least one of you is trying to reach a personal goal. Turned out she was so cool that we walked and talked together for the duration of the event. She is a teacher in the Tennessee Prison for Women so you can imagine she had some interesting stories. Moreover, she's taken part in some poetry nights at a local coffeehouse, likes to hang at some good restaurants and is simply a great person.
I didn't make my personal goal (I was + 8 minutes) but I figured out why I dragged my humongous hips (and trust me, I was one of the few people out there today who even had them -- most of the women were built like adolescent boys) out of bed: so I could encounter someone quite different from me, and yet very much like me. I gave up a couple hours of sleep, but I think a gained a friend.
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