Every now and then something happens that will just make me feel like being a better person. Or if not better, at least nicer. I've kind of started to notice over time that people just generally speaking are more and more unlikely to be nice to one another, or even make contact let alone eye-contact with a stranger. I am guilty of this as well and I think that just like I blame a lot of things on, that this is because of technology.
Sure we've had social media and stuff like this for a very long time and i will admit that I was one of the early adopters of an online presence. It's kind of funny to me that I was there when it was all being developed but now that it is literally everywhere I don't want to be a part of it anymore. Before I get too off topic I'll instead talk about the instance where someone was really nice to me that didn't have to be, and it really brightened my day and made me feel like being nicer to everyone else that I ran into that day. Who knows, I might even be nice to everyone today as well.
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As I mentioned not too long ago I have been trying to get into some level of decent shape. This has incorporated going to the gym in my building almost every day and also going on 5k runs around the neighborhood 5 times a week or more. I'm not setting any speed records while I am doing this but I always make a point to get it done, even if the time it takes me to do it is a bit embarrassing.
I mostly just run around the block in my neighborhood because of the fact that there are tall building everywhere and this means that after 3pm almost the entire circuit is in the shade. It is NEVER not hot here and I proved this on a couple of days where I went running at around 9pm and then another day I went before 6am. On both of these occasions I ended up back at my apartment just as covered in sweat as I always am so it doesn't seem to make much of a difference at all when I go.
This is my neighborhood and I simply go around and around the block over and over again until I reach 5k. Some days it is a struggle when I think that I MUST nearly be done only to find out I am not even at 3k yet, other days I don't even check the distance for a while and am delighted when I finally do check Strava and find out I have already done the 5k.
While I wouldn't say that I am well-known in this neighborhood, especially among the Vietnamese people, it is impossible to not notice the same guy who runs around the block every day. Some of the security guards and shopkeepers give me a thumbs up or a wave and this is always nice except for the fact that I am going to go around the block another 12 times and I don't know what to do after the 4th time they wave to me unless they are children.
Well yesterday when I was running a random Vietnamese person flagged me down and I was worried about what was going to happen because I don't speak any Vietnamese. Thankfully he addressed me in English and he said
"How old are you?"
I answered honestly and in an easy statement and he responded with something that made me feel really good about myself when he said
"Wow! you are in really good shape for your age!"
Now, I don't know if he really meant it or not and I also don't agree with his sentiment but the point is that the guy made me feel really good about me for the rest of the day even though I don't really like the guy in the mirror these days, especially when he doesn't have a shirt on.
This guy didn't have to do this but by doing it he really brightened up the rest of my day with his short statement. It kind of made me feel that people should do this more often. It doesn't have to be complimenting people on fitness but it could just be something like "that's a nice shirt" or something like that. It's kind of funny to me that people almost seem afraid to complement people these days, even if it is over a small thing like that. They'll do it online all day long but in person.... it seems almost everyone is afraid to say things, even if they mean it these days.
Once again I blame social media for making us all a bit meaner towards strangers. I know that for me personally, I feel as though I might be seen as creepy if I complement someone that I don't know but after what I experienced at the hands of this complete stranger while I was doing my daily laps, I think I am going to take that chance in the future.