Is there truly anything more upsetting than realizing that you’re being watched? And I’m not just talking about the ‘Mystery Meat’ rice Krispy treats that I’m making for a Halloween gathering. The bag of gummy eyeballs that I got off of Amazon are very realistic when you hold one in your hand. I can’t speak much on the taste of it, but it adorns a red colored blob of rice Krispy treats too perfectly!
Thank you 'Livinwithmb' for the inspiration! Particularly cute, a bit disturbing but a fun idea.
I’m more specifically talking about being watched when you least expect it or feeling like someone is coming up behind you. Ladies, you know the feeling I’m talking about, it’s that invisible instinct that we have that alerts us of a threat or if our space is about to be invaded. It’s something I think God gave us to help us know if we’re in danger and something I’m very grateful for.
Let’s just say as a female runner, the roadways have been particularly odd lately. Whether it’s been my encounters with homeless walkers on a run or walking my dog at dusk, safety outdoors has been on my mind a lot lately. Several events have happened within just the past month and it's left me a bit rattled.
My time on the road or in the gym is my ‘me time’ and a portion of my day where I think about nothing else other than what’s in front of me, or the weight I’m pushing or pulling. I love to get lost in a playlist and let my body go through the motions and forget about anything else going on in my life. It’s a part of the day where I can’t allow anything else to disrupt what’s going on at the present moment. Granted, I now have my work email on my phone and don’t mind being called or texted when someone on my work team needs me. This more pertains to being watched in real time that’s been the source of particular upset lately.
Just last year, I was followed by the same person who encountered me on my run route twice in a row within the span of just two weeks. He would keep in pace with me but stayed far enough ahead of me to try and be “inconspicuous”, kept looking back at me over his shoulder, and would stop when I stopped. After just a few minutes of him patterning my behavior, it became increasingly obvious that he was trying not to lose me. I ran the other direction only for him to turn about face, and run all the way past me just to get in front of me again by just a few feet. I had enough at that point and made an escape route back to our new house. It took me weeks to get back out on the road again. The second and final time this happened, he followed me in the same manner once again by keeping in toe with me just 50 or so feet ahead, keeping me in his gaze by frequently looking over his shoulder. I decided fine, let’s see what you do when I stop. To my astonishment, when saw I had stopped, he stopped too..... and sat down on a bench next to the entrance of one of the neighborhoods! I was pissed!
I immediately called Matt who phoned a friend of his in the neighborhood adjacent to us, who came and got me home. He’s an officer with a Jacksonville district and had no problem telling the guy with his butt parked on a bench, to leave me alone. This unfortunately was the last time I ran outside for many months and prompted me to gain a gym membership nearby.
Even though this was the last time I was followed on foot,(hope it to be the case) I wish I could say the same for drivers on the road. I’ve had random men shout at me out of the window of their vehicles, make noises and circle the block to pass me more than once but it’s been a while since something as disgusting as that has happened.
More recently, I was out walking my dog at dusk and taking a particularly longer route just for the sake of exercise. Me and Mavs were enjoying the cool temps, and he was very occupied with sniffing every palmetto bush we passed on our walk. Since I’m always aware of my surroundings, I do periodically look up at the road. It was at one moment where Mavs wouldn’t budge at my leash tugs due to being on the trail of something in the bushes. During his pre-occupation, I looked up at the road because I heard a vehicle decelerating. I wasn’t near one of the neighborhood entrances so of course this alerted me to look up. A truck had slowed itself down to an absolute crawl with its passenger side window rolled all the way down, and the driver was looking right at me! I made out the shape of a male driver who when catching my gaze, sped up and drove off.
The sun was already behind the trees so I didn't see a face, but it was definitely a male driver. I did thankfully catch every detail of the truck itself. I immediately called Matt and told him what happened and he stayed on the phone with me until I was closer to our neighborhood. I gave the descriptions of the truck to him as I power walked home with Mavs trotting close behind. This is the first time I’ve caught each detail of a vehicle creeping up on me like that so I’m thankful for what bit of sight I was able to make out at dusk...
All of this to say, no matter what type of a progressive society we live in, there will always be bad people looking to prey on vulnerable women. It's good to be confident and eager to anticipate a great training session, but even wiser to be prepared for the unexpected.
Always plan ahead, it wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.
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