who are these people?

As I was taking my early morning jaunt around suburbia this morning, it seemed a little less populated.

There's usually a fairly good sample of early morning walkers, joggers, dogs walking their humans, etc., but this morning was relatively deserted. There was the old couple that I pass, almost always about at the same place. They walk single file - one behind the other. Sometimes she's in front, sometimes he is. They're always very friendly in their greetings to me, though, so I guess they just like single file.

Then there's the oldish man jogger I come across on the trail. This is a narrow trail, suitable for only one person at a time. It's in the midst of Preble mouse town which some may remember as the setting for my crazed deer encounter.

There's no development allowed in Preble mouse town, so that early in the morning, it's kind of dark (no electricity) and tricky on this trail. One must pay attention lest one trips and falls on one's face.

In fact, one can get so focused watching the trail immediately in front of them, that one does not become aware of another person coming straight at them until... well.... the two of them collide. This has yet to happen with the oldish man jogger and myself, but we've come close. Side note: that HAS happened to me, embarrassingly enough, with a different jogger, and that's maybe why I keep myself aware of oldish man jogger, while also managing to keep from falling on my face.

These two encounters, I can almost set my watch by them. The locations are always the same. Their greetings are always as friendly. Almost as if we look forward to our friendly yet very brief crossings. I guess I do, in a way, look forward to them. If they weren't there, where they are supposed to be at that given time, I might worry.

There's another woman I see walking on Sundays when I run later in the day. Again, our paths cross at the same location each time. I'm pretty sure she is on her way to work... somewhere... based on how she is dressed. We always exchange pleasantries.

Not too long ago, I'd changed my routine a bit to work around a class I was teaching. I didn't see this woman for a while. When I saw her again, she visibly perked up. "There you are. Hadn't seen you in a while, I got worried". I was glad and a bit relieved to see her too.

And I don't even know her name.
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