Wondering Wanderer

Woke to early-morning rain yesterday. No surprise there. The showers didn't encourage outdoor activity, so I puttered around my kitchen, did some yoga and puttered some more. At around 9:00am I noticed that the rain had stopped and the sun had appeared.  I left my kitchen in a complete mess and headed out the door.

Did I mention I was a complete mess too? Hair unbrushed. Face unwashed. Yoga togs not necessarily clean after a morning in the kitchen. Too bad. The sun is fickle here, and I've been trying to get outside for 30 minutes each day as part of The David Suzuki Foundation's 30 x 30 Nature Challenge. 

I slapped on a rain hat and sunglasses, grabbed my jacket and hoped I wouldn't run into anyone.

I was out for less than 3 minutes when I met a young man, his adorable daughter and their sweet-as-can-be puppy. There was really no avoiding them, especially when the puppy ran up to me with his tail wagging. The friendly greeting didn't last long. Once he got close he started to growl. Maybe my unshowered state was too much for his wee, sensitive nose. A good possibility, as the growling increased after he sniffed my toes. I walked on with the darling thing following me and threatening me in his fluffy, puppyish way.

A little further on I met a young mother pushing a stroller. In it was a beautiful baby bathed in golden sunlight. For the record, I generally don't find babies all that cute. I'm more of a "look-at-that-wrinkly-monkey-alien" kind of person. 

As the stroller rolled toward me, I gazed at the sun-limned child wondering if it might, in fact, be a doll.  When I got close the child turned its head, looked into my eyes and began to howl. I tried not to take it personally, but as soon as I was out of sight the crying stopped. Really! I know I wasn't at my best, but I didn't think it was that bad!

Was it my ungroomed state striking fear into the locals? Maybe it was my wardrobe choices? Was it my rain hat? My sunglasses? The combination of the two? I know it seems like an odd pairing, but given West Coast weather, sometimes it's the best option. And considering my unwashed hair and bleary eyes, the hat and the glasses should have minimized the fright factor. Perhaps the young eyes of my critics found my efforts at disguise intimidating.

Or maybe my odd footwear prompted the growling, sobbing greetings I received on my walk. 

Nothing like knowing you're scaring children and small animals to make you wonder about your appearance.