Passing Thoughts

Thought #1

I passed an slightly older woman on the bike path today. She didn’t look unhealthy but she did somewhat resemble a scrawny chicken. Perhaps society had convinced her that she could never be too thin, but she was. At least in my opinion. I’m not sure if you would agree. She also looked as if she would break like a twig if she fell. It made me think of how they used to bind the feet of Chinese women. Becoming frail or even weak because you’ve become convinced the added weight of muscles or of a healthy body would make you unattractive seems like just another form of oppression to me. I should also mention this woman obviously had money. She probably wasn’t someone who needed to continue working at her age. Whatever vim and vigor she managed to hold onto seemed to be allotted to the act of presenting her very trim body to others for appreciation. Maybe I’m wrong. But maybe I’m not.

Thought #2

I passed a younger woman riding her bike in a line — her first, then a very small boy on a tiny two-wheeled bike, and then a man. I said hello to her as we passed on the path. She returned my gaze intently as she slowly rode by but she didn’t say a word. Her gaze wasn’t hostile but it was closed. It seemed to be silently warning me to keep my distance. I’m not really large enough to appear to be a threat. My voice had been friendly but not overly familiar. Its volume loud enough to be heard without being rude. I’ve had women act this way towards me before. I find it odd. They could choose to ignore me completely or to be rude. I’m pretty sure the message is that I’m being inappropriate. I have a decent number of introverted friends. I don’t think any of them would greet a quiet friendly hello with this type of bizarre keep-your-distance, silent stare. I don’t think I’m ever going to understand this, but I’m also not going to stop saying hello.