Right Before My Eyes

Greetings! Over the last two years I have often visited a small park in Acworth. On every occasion I parked there, ate lunch and read a book. This park has a small track. It looks to be about a half-mile loop. Today, I needed a quick run, so I decided to try the park for something new.  What a delightful surprise I received from changing perspective.

At one end of the park is a trail I couldn’t see from the parking lot. The trail goes about three quarters of a mile winding through a wooded area. There the path divides. One direction connects to another small park, while the other way provides a separate point of entry from a main road in the city. 

I looped back to where I started and found the other end of the parking lot has another trail. This one meanders along a creek bed and a lovely designated greenspace. Like the other direction the path links to three other parks and has a number of access points in the community.

Get out of the car. Run.

Tom

Privilege Run

Greetings! I planned a surprise trip for Shannan to take place later this month. Oddly a number of items kept creeping up for that same weekend, including the only Saturday of early voting in our community. This past weekend Shannan had planned to join a number of her friends for a weekend get-a-way in South Carolina. However, Hurricane Matthew cancelled those plans.

I took advantage of her schedule change and moved the surprise trip to the same weekend.  This worked well as the plan took us out of the way of the storm and of the evacuees. While out running Saturday morning I was mindful of the folks impacted by Hurricane Matthew. The thought immediately gave way to how fortunate we are to be able to travel and to not have been in the way of the storm.

I teach a class on stratification where I refer to the Privilege Walk concept. I’ve included a Youtube link below that shows the activity and includes the questions. I am very mindful Shannan and I enjoy a great many privileges in our life. Being able to take a mini-holiday and go running early in the morning are high among them. I am very grateful and at the same time I understand it’s not one world. Our thoughts remain with those impacted by Hurricane Matthew.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD5f8GuNuGQ

Appreciate Privileges. Run.

Tom

Love Leash Laws

Greetings! Leash your dog. It’s the law. I am a longtime friends of canines. It’s for that reason I understand leash laws to benefit the individual animals. So many folks ignore the leash law. They suggest their dogs are docile, don’t often stray or don’t like leashes. However, the thing they fail to consider is other people. Many people are afraid of dogs. Many people have allergies to dogs. Also there are smells that dogs may encounter while out and encourage then to go astray, maybe run into the street and get hit by person driving a car. Then, of course, there are other dog encounters which might lead to a fight. In fact, this happens with great frequency, and that is why I am sharing this post on my blog from dog loving friends.

For the over 20 years I have been running and I have encountered dogs around the world.  I have come face to face irritated stray dogs, unleashed dogs and dogs that were on their property without a fence. I am fortunate to have an unnatural relationship with dogs and each of the encounters went well. This includes running into wild dogs in the pitch black of night in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. Others are not so lucky. Everyday due to people ignoring leash laws dogs and humans get injured. This can all be avoided if people will simply lease their dog.

Enough of the soap box.

Love your dog. Leash it.

Tom