Morning Routine

I've been running along the same route at about the same time several days a week for the past few weeks. Today, I realized how I am not the only person in my neighborhood who does the same thing at the same time over and over again early in the morning.

As I ran along my neighborhood, I saw the Asian man and his teen aged son waiting on the street in front of the housing complex again. I don't know who or what they're waiting for or how long they wait. Today, though, was different. It looked like the man and his son were talking to each other on their cellphones. They were standing about ten feet apart from each other, both with their cellphones to their ears, and both smiling and chatting. They weren't speaking in English but some Asian language I didn't know. Maybe they weren't speaking to each other. But, I couldn't figure out who else would they speaking to at 6:20 in the morning.

As I jogged a little further, I caught up with the woman who wears way too much perfume. I catch up with her at the same street corner each time. She's probably on her way to work. When I approach, I can smell her. She smells like those lotions you buy at the Bath and Body Works at the mall--the ones that smell like country apple or peach or who knows what. It, and she, smells too sickly sweet, and it makes me want to vomit. I don't vomit though. Instead, I jog by a little more quickly.

My favorite part of my morning jog though is when I'm on my way back home and walk past the assisted living center for seniors. The lobby is always well lit and there's always activity. Through the windows, I can see the television turned on to the morning news. And, in front of the television are some of the residents, sitting in the wheelchairs, nodding off.