Leapin' Yuppies and Flyin' Sensible Shoes

He went whipping past my car going full tilt, long legs fully extended like a Kenyan Olympian in the Boston Marathon. His outfit moved easily with his body because he wasn't a suit guy. He existed in the more practical LL Bean vortex. He wasn't a fancy man. He was practical. His hair was trimmed close to his head with a side part, maybe fixed with some sort of pomade. His face was Clark Kent handsome and it said to me, the passerby in the car driving home, "I am running in public. Yes. I am."

The train was just pulling into the station, my husband Jason boarding it as I turned the corner after dropping him off at the platform. I was glad that he didn't have to run because his backpack looked heavy. The man who went by my car was less laden. He looked like he could afford smaller electronics. I reckonned he rarely got to show off his atheletic skills outside of a gym he fit into his regimented schedule.

He looked like he had a high school athlete. Maybe even college. Tall with long muscles as part of the gift of his body's natural genetic code. Somewhere along the line his life turned a more practical corner. He became a responsible commuter.  He looked secure and tidy, although today something in life made him tardy.  Maybe he secretly liked it because late was somewhat edgy.

A man right behind him was running full out as well but he didn't look as good at it, more like a dad chasing a rambunctious child heading for traffic. A lady crossed behind my car doing a run with a little hitch then walk fast run with a little hitch walk fast run in her somewhat sensible yet fashionable boots. A half a block down behind her another lady in a lime green Talbots vest and brown shoes was hobbling as speedily as she could without actually unbending her legs at the knees, irritation written across her face. I wanted to yell out the window, "Give it up and relax! It's futile without commitment!"

Collectively, they were off to a bad start in the morning. Something in life tripped them up from their regime and had messed with their schedule. Some of them made it but some of them failed and had to wait for the next one. They probably felt punished. But I bet the Clark Kent athlete man was saying a little "Thank you, God" as he realized  that he would make the meeting or get time to stop at Dunks or whatever it was that made him  not want to be late the first place. His knew his bad morning had been salvaged with his superior running ability. Perhaps he would never play sports like he had in his youth again but it was still worth something. And today he got to run in public.