Trail Thoughts: Just say Howsit!

May 13, 2019

Hey guys! 

Another first for the blog: Trail Thoughts. This segment is exactly that and won't always include the following preamble...

Its that ride or run when you are out on your own and your only companion is the thoughts swirling around your head. Some days those thoughts are a mish-mash of emotions, feelings and often expletives (for me anyway). Other days its like you have all the answers to the world's problems and everything is good in the world.

I'm mainly a solo runner (riding not so much - it's a bit kak smoking a gap jump you've been lining up for a few weeks and having no one around to tell you that, "No, you weren't in the air for a full minute" and that actually "Your tyres barely even left the ground".), so I have largely become friends with those thoughts. If I'm out running (especially mountain running), I often intentionally leave the earphones behind so I can have a quick internal squiz at what's actually happening in my head - beneath what is just evident on the surface. The journey my thoughts go on is often a direct reflection on what kind of space I am in and helps me stay conscious of how that might be affecting my day to day life and relationships especially.

So, without getting too philosophical, this segment is just a materialization of some of those thoughts. I'm sure a lot of you go through this process too; feel free to share, even if you don't want them published. 

Trail Thoughts: Just say "Howsit"!
Cape Town, South Africa

First off, I originate from the section of the South African population which say "Howsit" as a greeting, like "Hello" or "Hi" - but a lekker-er version. I don't want to engage in an endless, very awkward, loop of "Fine thanks and you" with you - I'm saying hello!

I am also from the section of the riding and running community which says "Howsit" to most strangers on the trail - the idea behind this post. Yes - there is a time and a place, and no - I don't greet every person I come across going up Platteklip (mainly cause I don't have the breath). I'm talking about those times when you slowly pass someone going up Saaltjie, you're both alone and clearly both suffering. Just say "Howsit", man! Why, you say? I just think it's a lekker thing to do!

In a world where we are so involved in our own lives and often spend most of our day in front of a laptop or with our heads buried in our phones, getting out and being outside for a while gives you a chance to rediscover a bit of your humanity. Part of that humanity, I think, is connecting with other humans - even if it's just a short hello. That person you pass might be having a real kak old day and your bit of enthusiasm could be just the little lift she/he needs.

So, just say "Howsit", man! Maybe? Please?

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