Running free

A dear friend came over for tea and catch up this evening so I knew I'd be in for a later run that usual. Out of habit and convenience I usually head out while it is still light, rarely returning much after dark. I usually run at night with friends. Safety? Perhaps.

For sure, there are good reasons not to be running around at night. Lone female out on the suburban roads, in the dark... I've never once felt threatened in my 20-plus years of suburb street running and yet there are an abundance of warnings that it isn't safe to be outside after dark. Founded? You can get hijacked in broad daylight (opportunistic?) as much as after sunset so I don't know that this makes a big difference? I do keep to well lit streets and in the area there are a number of security-guard houses that I pass. I saw one other runner, lit up like a xmas tree.

Tonight I left a bit before 7pm, running the whole way in the dark. This, combined with my runny nose on its way out and feeling great, made for just the most energising and exhilarating run that I've had for ages.

One of the racers who was here from Europe for Expedition Africa was saddened by our big walls and fences. He felt sorry for us that we live this way. I totally agree with him and explained that it wasn't like this when I grew up but that the fences and walls went up and we adapted our behaviour to being safety conscious and we got used to it. My running adapts too - keeping to the 'safety' of daylight even though I absolutely love running at night.

Tonight was my night.

It wasn't too late, but it was dark.

The suburb was mine.

There were few cars and fewer people.

This run was swift and strong.

And free.

Pen and *gasp* paper

I'm having really good fun with my FEAT Trade, where people can trade me anything they want to and in return they receive a FEAT-branded flash drive (with green light!) on which all videos from past FEAT events are loaded.

The trades have all been totally different and each is special and thoughtful.

One of the early trades (I'm on six trades so far and I see I've got a post office slip for what I assume will be #7) came with a lengthy hand-written letter. Oh my goodness - what a beautiful thing. I haven't received a chatty handwritten letter for a very long time and it was such a treat. So, I've taken to writing letters - pen and paper letters - back to each trader.

Over the weekend I went to the shops to buy some writing paper. I've got plain white printer paper only. I found no writing paper at CNA. Nothing at Pick 'n Pay either. I bought a fairly plain, pastel-coloured, lined, A5 writing pad from a specialist stationer. This is pretty much all they had in the letter-writing category. The market for paper for hand-written letters is next to zero - his main customers for writing paper are the old folks from the old-age home across the road.

I am so enjoying sending back hand-written letters. The only time I write is to scribble notes for myself. I haven't written a page of writing for another person for a while. Something I've learned over the past few days is that my handwriting has surely gotten worse and that it is very inconsistent and uneven - just out of practice.

In late primary school I had a pen pal. Liz - from Tzaneen. We lost contact when we got to high school. And my friend Allison and I used to write letters to each other - for years - from primary and into high school. Actually, she's on her way over now for tea. Penpals were such a thing in the 80s.

If you're ever inclined to want to write the odd handwritten letter, you're welcome to write to me. And I'll write back.

12 The Cedars, Field Close, Bedford Gardens, 2007. Johannesburg. South Africa.

When you retire...

I know a number of people heading into retirement at the moment. Some have been retired from their companies at 60 yrs or 63 yrs... They're definitely not old and non-functional. They're full of beans and with the programme. And now that they're at home, they've got nothing to do.

I chatted to a neighbour tonight who has just been retired by her company. She hasn't got much to do and spends her days messing around on her iPad. But, you can only do that for some time before it gets old. I mentioned to her about applying her work experience and skills to volunteering for an organisation aligned with her interests - animals, children, the aged, education - there is so much need for manpower and energy and skills. She hadn't thought of it.

When you're working, every week day is about your job. At night you probably crash early to wake up early to get to work. Over the weekends you've only got two days to shop for groceries and stuff, spend time with family, have lunches and dinners with friends, take your dog to the park and sneak in an afternoon nap. When you're presented with another five days to fill - and friends and family are at work - what do you do all day? Especially if you haven't got any hobbies or activities and if you're not involved with clubs and organisations?

I watched my one grandmother go from vibrant and active and involved to 'Elvis-has-left-the-building' within a few years of retiring. No hobbies, no interests... And then she moved countries to South Africa. No friends here. Nothing familiar. Sure, Alzheimer's kicked in but I think her brain degeneration had more to do with too little use and stimulation than the degenerative disease. My dad once asked her, before she got bad, what she had planned to do in her retirement. "Nothing," she answered. Nothing eats your brain cells.

If you've got lots of money, you can travel. Not everyone has lots of money when they retire, and they money they have maybe needs to last for another 25 years...

I can think of five recently-retired people that I know who are sitting at home doing next to nothing. A break for a month or two from the confines of structured work is a good thing but for the next 10-15 productive years of their lives? There's so much manpower rotting at home and so many organisations needing skilled, helping hands. If you have a family member vegging at home, try to encourage them to get involved with something - anything - aligned to their interests. These people are too valuable to have sitting at home watching telly all day.

Then again, if all they want to do is watch telly...

The first seven days. Done.

I'm already seven days done with my annual pre-birthday game. 30 days to go.

I've had a pretty easy week as I've been down with a snotty nose following Expedition Africa. I was a bit spooked on Thursday morning when I woke up as it felt like the simple nose-cold was descending into my chest, but fortunately its progress halted and this morning I woke up feeling mostly normal again - except for a remaining slightly runny nose. I hope I can run away from it this week.

My week was a comfy 43km week with a mix of runs from road to putting out and collecting orienteering controls at my adventure navigation course on Saturday, and two runs with the huskies down the road.

I've also thrown in a '30 Day Squat Challenge' to my mix (I'm on Day 4). I've seen it going around on FB. I'll tell you more about this later in the month as we're going to do it for our AR Club Challenge for June. Fred has added in two other levels for this challenge, especially for squat novices and intermediates.

By my birthday I should have fit heart and lungs as well as squat-sculpted buns *grin*

Tomorrow, Monday, welcomes Week 2 of '37 Days of Running'. Bring it on.