Seen With Accessories

One night week before last I was on my way to the grocery store. Driving down the street on which I live - and walk - I was almost on top of a fellow walker before I spotted her. She was wearing all dark clothes, black or navy, with white sneakers. Fortunately for both of us, her shoes had a sliver of reflective material around the back which caught my headlights and my attention. I realized that could have easily been me walking.

If I had hit her, she would have been hurt, but there would have been only a slight bump and very little damage to my car. But if someone hits me, we're talking about wiping out the entire front end of the car; plus my two new knees. I decided I can't control how others make themselves visible while walking, but sure as I pay car insurance premiums, I can do everything possible to make myself visible. Needless to say, I will do everything possible to protect my knees, and to avoid needing to have hip replacement surgery.

I want to be seen, but not stick out like a Christmas display walking in the neighborhood. I went online to see what was available. As I have found, the running/walking industry is huge. There are tons of products, most with equally large price tags. I found ankle bracelets with flashing red lights. There are head lamps with white lights facing forward and red lights pointing backward. There are even vests with flashing lights. Remember, my goal was to be seen, but walking down residential streets looking like a Mardi Gras float with flashing lights was not my intention.

And then there it was ... just what would make me seen by drivers. Not only would I be seen, I would be fulfilling a childhood dream. I've never before admitted this. When I was about 10-years-old I wanted to be a School Crossing Guard. Actually, I didn't really want to be a Crossing Guard; but, instead wanted the spiffy sash worn by the Crossing Guards and the shiny pin attached to the spiffy sash. I was all for letting the guys in my neighborhood wave their flags to stop traffic and escort me across the street. I just wanted that damn sash and pin. That sash and pin would have been great accessories to any outfit I owned. Please note ... I spent 13-years in school in New Orleans and 10 of those years were wearing Catholic School uniforms. Give a girl a break, accessories to go with real clothes would have been welcomed.

Let's reel-in this story back to wanting to be seen when I walk. On Amazon I found an apparatus that looked like the crossing guard sash. And it is better because it has lots of reflective strips to make sure I am seen. The crossing guard sash went around the waist and over one shoulder. This reflective device goes around the waist and over both shoulders. Adding to the spiffiness is that there are two reflective straps for my legs. Talk about accessories for an outfit. Take that, Ms Dobson, for telling me only the boys could wear those sashes and shiny pins! It took me 52-years, but I got my sash, sans the pin. Something tells me Ms Dobson isn't rolling over in her grave, and in Heaven she probably has no memory of Beth Taylor.

So, it’s one foot in front of the other to the finish line!