Running with good will

Running around my local 'hood I always greet passerby, whether they're runners or pedestrians. It gives me a happy community vibe. Occasionally I give people directions, chase roaming dogs back into their yards and pick up litter.

On Tuesday I had a very 'good will' run.

At my first intersection, not 200 metres from home, a cyclist got knocked off his bicycle. I didn't see it happen but I rushed over to help the guy up. He was shaken but unhurt. The driver did stop -  a bit of a blustery fellow. I asked a nearby lady what happened and it seems the driver was in the wrong - he clipped the cyclist as they were both going around the corner - the double-cab guy just hadn't seen him.

Another 300 metres down the road a guy's car had stalled at a stop street. I roped in a passing pedestrian to assist and we pushed the car around the corner and to the side of the road to unblock the traffic. We didn't manage to get the car push started but at least the dude was now in a place where drivers wouldn't just be sitting in their cars hooting - and not helping.

Less than a kilometre later there's a lovely stretch and generally throughout the suburb on well-used roads we've got bins for trash. But yet there's always litter around to some degree. Drives me insane. Most days I'll pick up something and toss it in the bin, especially if the bin is nearby. I did a dash of this.

And then, another 500-metres later two dogs came hurtling around the corner. Enthusiastic escapees.

There's a house nearby where the guy always closes the gate leaving his poor dogs outside. I've rung his buzzer a half-dozen times over the past couple of months to tell him to open his gate to let the dogs back in and to get them off the street. Coincidentally one of his small dogs was waiting outside the gate but he said the other two big dogs were not his.

The dogs wouldn't follow me down the road - back in the direction from which they'd approached me - so I ran through to the local security guard in the area. He thought he knew which house they belonged to so he said he'd go check their gate and let the owners know. This house was one I'd run past and there was no open gate and no panicked people.

I just don't get this thing of closing the gate and leaving dogs outside. These people don't seem to check when you drive in and close the gate that your dogs are all inside? Last week I found two big dogs in their long driveway, next to the road, and the gate open. An old lady answered the buzzer and was relieved that I'd let her know. 

The rest of my run was incident free. But it got me thinking about 'good will' running. On foot - and not tearing around in a car - it is easy to help people: push-start a stalled car, round up dogs, pick up litter, give directions and assist old folks to cross roads. When you can help (people, animals, community, environment) because you're there at the right time and on foot, it feels good.