Huntsville is a very fit town. There are bikers and runners and walkers on the sidewalks and roads all the time. There are many who work out in the mornings and I’ll see them on my way into work. I see this one woman walking on my way to work every morning. Depending on whether it’s an early morning or a late morning, she’ll be walking in a different direction. I’ve slowly pieced together her routed and it’s a long walking route up and down one of the biggest hills in town. One I used to incorporate in my marathon training and would curse the entire time. She walks at a moderate pace, and is probably a few years older than me and a few pounds heavier.
There are several odd things about this situation. One is that she always has this HUGE smile on her face. I mean - HUGE. And not KRAZEE Big but SUPER DAMN HAPPY Big. Every morning. Always smiling. And listen - no one walking up that hill should be that happy. TRUST ME.
The other weird thing - she’s always waving to people who pass by. Not everyone, but specific people. Many wave to her as well. At first I assumed it was people she knew, but now I’m starting to think it’s just people who see her every morning, because there are so many. I have decided she has walked this same route at the same time long enough that the people who drive by every morning feel they have a bond with her - and so they wave indicating that they know who she is. This is the only explanation because I’ve probably seen 100 different people wave to her. And also - I sometimes feel the need to do so myself. I’ve only been driving this route for a while, but I feel like I know her and should wave when I see her.
The last weird thing is - she wears the same outfit every day. A gray ARMY t-shirt with black shorts. I guess I find it weird because, to wear the same outfit everyday, you have to decide to wear the same outfit every day. I can’t imagine there’s anyone who has only one pair of shorts and one t-shirt. She looks like she has adequate means: nice hair style, jewelry, nice shoes etc. I don’t think it’s a money thing. Maybe it’s a style thing and she hates workout clothes so much she only allows herself to own one set. Either way - it’s something I spend waaaay too much time wondering about. I want to stop and ask her, “Do you have several of those shirts and shorts or do you wash them every day?” She never looks sweaty or dirty. It’s just perplexing. Every Day. Same Outfit. Same Hill. Same Route. Same people she waves too.
UNTIL TODAY.
Today she was wearing a navy blue t-shirt with white writing (I couldn’t tell what it said) and gray shorts. WHAT? I freaked out! What happened to my ARMY walking lady? She was a consistent force in my mornings - WHY DID SHE CHANGE? Is this a new outfit that will go into the rotation or is this a new outfit that will now be worn every day? I MUST KNOW! I can’t wait until tomorrow to find out. And what did the shirt say? WHAT DID IT SAY? It’s like someone shook my snow globe and everything is all moved around and I can’t tell where I’m going. Why did she mess with a good thing? WHY? This is like that guy who used to run on my route every morning with his dog. However, every once in awhile he would run without the dog and I would panic because I would fear the dog had died.
You know what? I think I’m getting way too attached to the people exercising in the mornings on my way into work. What do you think?
And more importantly - Are you now dying to know why my walking lady changed her outfit?
I want to know how I can be like her and out walking every morning!!
You crack me the hell up! Mostly because I do the same kinds of things!
And yes, I’m dying to know if she wears the same new outfit tomorrow!
Okay, well now that you’ve told us you gotta ask her. Inquiring minds wanna know!
Maybe you shouldn’t ask her about her clothes. Maybe she’s obsessive/compulsive and is herself just managing to hold it together because for some reason she had to change her walking outfit. You might set her off. These are the things I think about.
I TOTALLY want to know about her outfit. And I would be the same way about that man’s dog, too. We may be nuts but at least we’re not alone in our nuttiness!
I have one running outfit and I run a lot. I just hate spending money on clothing that I’m just going to sweat in.
yes, please. Because, y’know, I don’t think enough about things over which I have no control.
Gawd. Now I’m going to have to keep visiting until I find out.
Sigh.
Or maybe she has begun to lose so much weight that she was forced to change her workout clothes into something that fit. Or maybe it was a reward to herself for dropping down 5 or 10 lbs.
Or maybe she just totally ruined the clothes when she accidentally poured bleach into the washer.
Let’s hope it’s the first one.
Hmm there could be a million reasons. Maybe someone who sees her everyday gave her the outfit as a gift and now she feels obliged to wear it. Keep us posted about what happens tomorrow!
As crazy as it sounds, yes! I am wondering!
I’m glad to know I’m not the only person who gets attached to people I see every day but don’t know. Dropping my kid off at school I always say, Oh there’s Orange Bike Chick or there goes Mustang Guy. I’ve been known to come up with names for some for the dogs we see on a regular basis!
We need video.
I love it!!! We see the same people around our area too, but I absolutely LOVE the snow globe reference…that is hysterical!!!
Hahahaha! I totally find myself worrying over weird stuff like that too!
The snow globe cracked me the heck up! Yer silly!
So, what did her shirt say? Did you ever find out? Was she back in her normal clothes the next day? This is going to drive me mental now!
I’m curious as to if you wave to her, just for the heck of it.
When I visit my parents there are a couple of old men that sit in ratty plastic chairs in front of their nicely kept upper middle class homes and tend to wave to me when I pass by. I wave because I get this strange “I’m totally part of the club, bayyyby” feeling.
Then, I’m strange like that.
No.
I’m still stuck on the 28 jars of mayo.
We are all now left wondering, thanks to the great and allmighty Zoot…
Please let us know soon…
Please update about the ARMY shirt lady as soon as you know something. Something’s gotta be up.
Well You have to share now… I want to know if she goes back to the army garb or if she changes her outfit yet again…
I definately need to know.
Maybe she’s like me and never changes clothes (sleeps in the same ones she wore the day before) and never takes a shower. 3 kiddos under 4 will do that to ya.
Yes, I want to know, too! Did you ever find out?
I tend to wear the same outfit on long walks, as I’ve experimented and found what chafes the least.
[...] the lady I see walking every morning who up and changed her uniform out of the blue? Well - it seems there is NO uniform anymore. Everytime I see her she is wearing a different shirt. [...]