bit by bit

i had a very good run this morning. the weather was really nice -- it had rained during the night so the air was humid but it wasn't windy or cold; if there is something i adore it is these lukewarm, still, autumn mornings when the sea looks like it is still sleeping and the darkness around you is not oppressing but rather protective.  added to that the lightness of feet and the ease of the run made it quite a nice way to start to day.

as i was approaching home a woman sprinted past me, heading towards the same direction as i was. now, it's not to say that i am a fast runner, or that i never get ran past -- it just doesn't happen very often (mostly because the amount of runners in the time i run is somewhat low) and it does sometimes awake a slight competitive spirit in me. so as she was running a bit faster than me,  i decided to speed up my pace as well and  kept up with her for a while and eventually ran past her. as i was on her side she made a fake spurt as if to start racing; i must have had a surprised look on my face as in the next second she laughed it off and said she was merely joking. we continued running side by side for the rest of the run -- it just so happens that she lives in the same building as i -- and had a nonchalant discussion about the conditions that morning and running in general.

for some reason this unexpected, good-humoured, short exchange left me with a good feeling for the rest of the day; perhaps it served as a welcomed reminder that it really can be the smallest of things on which a good day is built.