Most people tend to look at you with more than just a little skepticism when you tell them that the illogical is just as likely to be true as the logical.
I mean just because something doesn't make sense at first doesn't mean it isn't logical. It could simply mean we haven't found the right way to look at it or current knowledge isn't capable of explaining what we are seeing.
So, when someone tells me about something that couldn't possibly make sense, I just smile. Who's to say what can and can't be discovered simply through the act of keeping an open mind.
I have long held the belief that as long as one keeps an open mind there is nothing that can't eventually be explained...That is until today.
My girlfriend and her family are very into running. At least, the majority of them are.
In just a few weeks, her mom, dad and she are going to the Wisconsin Dells to take part in one of those themed fun runs I had just written about in a past post.
This one has a cowboy and cowgirl theme. Which means for a sizable registration fee you get a cowboy hat, a handkerchief and the chance to run a 5k at 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning.
I try to support my girlfriend in everything she does. Even things that start at 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning.
She told me about a few spots along the race route where I could watch and cheer her on. I told her I would do her one better. Forget being a glorified cheerleader standing on the sidelines. I would run along with her.
Now, rather than spend the next 20 paragraphs typing 'she said' and 'I said', I think I'm just going to switch to a scripted dialogue format for a bit. Trust me, it will just make things so much easier.
GF: You can't run. Registration is closed
ME: Well, I don't need the hat and all that stuff. I'll just run along side of you and keep you company.
GF: You can't do that.
ME: I can't just run along side you?
GF: Nope. It's illegal.
ME: Illegal?
GF: Yep.
ME: How is it illegal?
GF: Because you aren't registered. So, it would be a security risk.
ME: But its just running. They can't stop me from running.
GF: That's what sister thought. She was going to just run along with my mom at a race. Then just
as the race started the police stepped in and stopped my sister. They told her she had to leave.
ME: That doesn't make sense. All she was doing was running. Running can't be illegal.
GF: It is when it is a privately sponsored event. You can run on the sidewalk though.
ME: What the Frak!
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| These police officers are taunting those who can't run |
The city may technically own the streets, but its our tax dollars that helped build and repair them. So, if I want to run in the street, I'm going to run in the street. Let's see them try and stop me.
As far as they know, I am just your average city dweller out enjoying the day by going for a short run.
This is supposed to be America. Land of the free and home to people who want to run. But apparently not if there is a race already going on. Then you need to just find a spot along the sidelines and cheer, because God help you if you take one step that resembles anything close to that of a runner's stride.
A police office with maybe a little too much to prove will yell out, "Hey you. You can't run here. There's a race going on." And should you choose to ignore him, he might just shoot you in the leg and claim you were trying to flee.
When it comes to supporting my girlfriend, I think I will gladly fulfill my role as her sideline cheerleader. It may not be as impressive as running a 5k, but then again, no one is going to shoot me for running either. I'll call that a win for logic.
