The Shadow Lady

I’m walking four to five mornings a week around my hilly neighborhood now.  I walk fast and go for about 45 minutes at a time, trying to stay in my target heart rate.  Nowadays, I often have to walk when my son is with his nanny two mornings a week.  By the time I hit the sidewalk, the sun is already high.

I use pretty much the same route every day, passing the same houses and views but also seeing some of the same people whose routines overlap with mine.  There’s the dad always dropping off his baby at the neighborhood daycare center.  There’s the retired gent who hoses out his garage every morning and then blows it dry with his leaf blower!  

And then there’s the Shadow Lady.  That’s the name I gave her in my head.  She’s a fellow walker, although much thinner than I am.  And she dresses differently than I do.  Much differently, for she is completely covered.  I wear shorts and tee shirt to exercise, but she wears black, full-length spandex pants, a black long-sleeved turtleneck shirt, black gloves, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses.  I have no idea what race she is because her face is covered in thick white zinc sunscreen like a circus clown.  Yeah, it’s a little spooky.  And although we’ve exchanged waves, we’ve never stopped to talk so I don’t know what the outfit is really about.  But it seems clear to me that the get-up is about sun protection rather than any sort of style or costume.  For that reason, I’ve come to admire her.  There are a thousand excuses not to exercise and I would think that being hypersensitive to the sun would be a big one.  (Some genetic disorders or medications can cause such a problem.)  Yet this lady proactively found clothing and gear that would work for her, then hit the walking trail.  Next time I feel lazy, I’m going to think of her!

Who or what inspires you?