a run down memory avenue.
So every morning for the past week I've set my alarm to go off at 6 or 6:20, depending on my schedule, so that I can get up and go running. Cuz I really have nothing big to do during the days, other than one day of jury duty, but it's still too hot during the day to even consider running. But every morning the alarm goes off and I hit dismiss. And I think, oh it's okay, I'll just do it tonight. But then I eat a big dinner, or something and I haven't gone running, until tonight. My parents went to the gym so we had a light dinner around 5. So I went out for my run at 8. 23 minutes, could've been better, but we'll work up to longer times. I'm shooting for 4 miles every other day, maybe only twice a week at 5 miles, who knows. Anyway, I got to thinking during my run. And here's what I thought about:
1. Two years ago before NCCC I ran around the same neighborhood, but it you would have told me then that I'd run 23 minutes and actually feel good at the end, I'd have laughed. I used to feel like death after a run, now I feel so much better. I only cut my run short because I had the complete wrong shoes on and my ankles were killing me, and I haven't gotten to that whole "run through the pain" mentality yet. So yay, I can tell a difference two years later, thanks NCCC.
2. I was running down a street I had been down before, when all of a sudden I noticed a vacant lot. Seriously, a lot of overgrown grass with remnants of a driveway in the front. I stopped, almost dead in my tracks. Hello? This is suburbia, NJ, not New Orleans or somewhere else that got hit with some horrible tragedy. That piece of land is probably worth $30,000. It's a bit small, both narrow and short, but still it's unused land. I never considered that an option here. Is it sad that I felt a little pang? Like a homesickness thing? I miss New Orleans, and as much as I want there to be no vacant lots in New Orleans, there are, and I miss them. I miss everything about New Orleans.
3. Which brings me to my next topic, porches. I started looking around at the houses I was passing seeing one thing they all had in common. None of them had any designed seating areas that passerbys could see. I remember reading an article about apartment buildings or condos that were being built in New Orleans. They were designed from a non-new orleanian, with outdoor porches designed so neighbors couldn't see each other. Because that's what people want right? Privacy? But the people in New Orleans refused the design, they wanted to be able to see their neighbors, spend hours talking on their porches, it's what they do. Why does that seem so crazy? Do you really want to be that lady in the neighborhood that the kids all run from because she never comes out in daylight? And yeah, sometimes I like to be alone, but I consider myself an extrovert, getting energy from people and interactions. And at least half the country is extroverted, so why is all of Union so intent on having their privacy? I even notcied one house has so many plants that you could barely see their front door from the street. What's so great about privacy? If I don't know my neighbor and one day I look out and see some foreign person entering the house, will I worry? Will I call anyone? Maybe a friend who has no connection, but otherwise no. No cops. I probably wouldn't have the neighbor's number. Maybe it's just a friend house-sitting. Maybe it's not. In New Orleans they would care, they would know. Though thatt's just me saying, I didn't actually feel like that personally. I didn't have a porch to sit on. But while I was running all of a sudden, I saw it. A porch. In front of the house. With two chairs. I laughed out loud. On more than one occasion. I couldn't get it off my mind, how good that porch made me feel. Those people know. And as I write this and listen to local New Orleanian music, courtesy of www.wtulneworleans.com, I can't help but smile. When I settle down, wherever that ends up being, I'll have a front porch. And it'll be brightly colored. And have pieces of all the other places I've been and I'm going to go. Maybe by then I'll figure out what's special about New Jersey and add a touch of that, a garden maybe?
Alright just had to write that all down before it left my mind. I've been reading a good amount lately and I want to get back into writing everything down. It'll be nice to be able to bring back specific moments when I'm senile.