Over the last month I’ve gotten to know that area that I live in though wanders, jogs, and walking to and from work. One of the things that impresses me about it is the vast number of athletic facilities there are. There are at least four high quality soccer pitches within walking distance of my house, and they are almost always being used. (I think there is some kind of relationship between the high number of quality athletic facilities and the extremely high level of community.)
There is one particular field that has caught my eye. It is built into the hill and is right next to a public school. It is weird to me that a public school would have vast bleachers and astroturf. It’s not just a thing in American movies. It is generally locked but not today. I saw the gates open and decided to wander in and hope no one noticed me. I was in luck. A game of ultimate frisbee was going on and people were jogging around the edge. Score. People sat in the stands in clumps supporting friends.
Others were walking up the stairs I had just climbed in gym shorts and t-shirts. They instantly made me want to through on my runners and join them. I could gladly be one of them.
Lacking the appropriate attire and footwear I wandered over to the edges. I could see the back of a scoreboard, with weeds beneath my feet. In the opposite direction there was an old brick building, an eatery and some row houses.
Doesn’t that just make you want to go for a run.
I am really going to miss this place.