The running club

After a somewhat stressful day, I was a bundle of nervous energy.  From my experience, the best recipe to beat the stress-induced blues is to get some exercise.  So, I decided to go for a run.

While I did get the intended benefits of my run, I got a few others that I hadn't counted on:

1. In my first 500 metres, I got an enthusiastic hug from a teenage girl.  As I continued on, my new friend and her three girlfriends literally fell down laughing.  I must truly be irresistible in this new beard...
2. In a vacant field at the edge of the neighbourhood, some ladies were busy breaking ground with their hoes so that they could plant maize.  One called out, "Come and help us."  So I did.  I didn't stay long, but the sight of a "mukua" hefting a hoe caused further gales of laughter.  After a short while they said, "Thanks, you can go."  I thought I was doing a decent job but perhaps not.
3. At about the halfway point, two young boys called out, "Hey boss, wait up!"  So I slowed down, let them catch up and then we ran together.  With all the children playing out on the street, it wasn't long before our group of three runners became a dozen.  The scene reminded me of one of my favourite scenes in Forrest Gump.  Since I'm now relating the story, I obviously don't intend to keep running until my beard grows as long as Forrest's...

All in all, it was an unexpected and happy ending to a rather blah day.  Moral: We should all run more often.