The above quote is one of my favorites. It was passed down to me by a famous teacher who I had in college, Maya Angelou. Anyway, I think upon this statement quite often. Professor Angelou's prayer for all of her students was that we would never say, "Oh, I can't or wouldn't ever do that." Because here's the thing: if other humans have done it, you probably can too.
Angelou liked using the example of learning a foreign language when she quoted "Terence", and I've personally taken it to heart in the ways of making my living as an artist, living out my dream of hiking all of the Appalachian Trail, and challenging my body in other physical ways (like the 1/2 Ironman).
But the reason I bring all of this up today is because I think some folks in my town have labeled me as alien. I will not let it get to me, because there is nothing I want to change about my behavior, but it does kind of not feel great when people stare at you like, "What planet did you come from?"
Today, the quizzical look came from a female stranger at the post office. My golden retriever, Buttercup, often accompanies me on errands to the post office. She has a doggie backpack that will carry small packages, so I make her carry the mail. After all, we pay for the kibble and vet bills, so she ought to earn her living somehow! Seriously, though, Buttercup needs companionship and exercise, I need fresh air and exercise, and the mail needs to get to the post office by some means. So why not knock out all 3 tasks at once and save some money by not consuming gas? That's easy logic, if you ask me. But if you ask the woman at the post office, all she could wonder is why I wasn't terrified that my dog was going to get stolen for the less than a minute trip that I abandoned her to take the mail inside. (If you're interested, by the way, Buttercup is snugly leashed right outside the P.O., so she can't run away). The woman could not go on with her business of the day, apparently, because after interrogating me on how I could do such a thing, she just stood still and stared at me while I rejoined Buttercup and continued home. Is it really so uncommon or nonsensical that I might walk my dog on an errand run? Now I understand I'm not in Europe, where nearly everyone takes their dog to the P.O., but still, it doesn't seem to me like such a horrible idea.
Likewise, folks have also given me the weirdo look for choosing on lovely weather Sundays to walk to church. They've given me the look for saying that I'm an artist, too, because that is just not a career. And of course, there's all the honking we get while we're out biking.
I don't mean to be condescending, but if anyone actually paid attention in Drivers Ed., they should know that bicycles are considered vehicles just as much as cars are, and they are legally entitled to (and for safety reasons need) the entire lane -- not just the shoulder. In fact, a relative of mine, who interestingly is a lawyer, asked me once if we ride our bikes in the shoulder. Now, if shoulders were designed for road biking, I'd be the first one to take advantage of that, but unfortunately, until civil engineers take action to implement separate bike lanes, the oh-so-rushed rest of you Americans will just have to wait a few seconds until the opposite lane is clear for you to pass. And I know this all comes off bitchy on my part, but you should take it to heart anyway, because I know two people whose lives have been nearly ruined by their accidental killing of road cyclists, and my mother herself can testify to the immense pain in the ass you will experience if you injure a cyclist and get sued.
Maybe I deserve all the honks and stares, though. I try my best not to give others the treatment I've received, but I, too, probably deliver the look. At a large group supper this past Sunday, I went through a buffet of pig-in-a-blankets, potato chips, mac-and-cheese, soft drinks, and icecream, wondering who must have taken all of the vegetables.
And we wonder why our country has an obesity epidemic? Geez.
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