"Nice legs"

And with those two words, I had found a new meditation during today’s run.

Let me back up here. I don’t like running with music; I find it counter productive to my desire to be as unplugged as possible. Plus, it IS dangerous because you can’t hear cars, or some psychotic flasher/crazy person running after you. So, I look forward to my long runs because they’re a great chance to sort out my mind; separate out the good, the bad, and the ugly of psychic cowboys. My long runs have been a blessing, especially in difficult times. Today I was considering the misuse of the word “myriad”, living in the country versus the city, the emotional fortitude of vampires, and noting the beautiful landscaping in some yards.

I’m about 3 miles into my run and I pass by a *guy* who said to me “Nice legs” in response to my “hello”. Ummm, yeah. “Nice legs” is not, to the best of my knowledge, the most socially acceptable greeting but I laughed it off because it was just so surreal. As I ran on, I realized that I was simultaneously

a) weirded-out

b) disappointed at myself for being flattered for a millisecond. Gloria and Betty were so not happy with me and may revoke my membership in the “we are self-respecting women and thou shall not treat women as objects” group.

Overall, I figured that the *guy* was harmless but very inappropriate.

For the next 3 miles, I began to ponder the acceptability of such statements to total strangers, and I wondered why it was more likely that a man would say that to a woman but not vice versa, or even for a woman to say that to another woman. Now I’m curious. And, if a Gen X-er such as me is curious, then I will actually do something about it. Heh. As I’ve told Lord Mullett, “the world is our oyster, but all I want to do is take a nap”.

If you have a story or something to add, please do in the comments.

I use the word *guy* with intent because I was reminded from this quote from “Say Anything”: No. The world is full of guys. Be a man. Don't be a guy.

I'm off to re-read "Love in the Time of Cholera", it's a wonderful novel. It may even surpass "Wuthering Heights" as my favorite book.

Stay vertical, :) LJS