WOW!

Just came back from a… well, what was supposed to be just a quick visit to the closest recycling unit, and that is in the parking area of a supermarket near us. The walk is around 5 minutes (fast walking) and around 10 if you were lazy walking. The thing is, it’s really hot in Dubai, and recycling units, where they have containers for your recyclables are not available everywhere, and to get to the nearest one I had to wait for the weekends, so that my husband would drop me there, without a car, it was impossible. But now that the weather is better I got back to my old habit, that of the first days of me arriving here, when the weather was still nice. I used to take Adam, stuff his stroller with recyclables (unlike Tunisia, where I had access to Plastic recycling units only, here I’m able to recycle plastic, metal, glass, and paper) and head to that supermarket.

Anyway, the weather is still hot, but after going through June, July, August and September in Dubai, October feels like autumn to me…  especially in the early morning. I went there at around 8, dropped the materials, folded my cloth bags, threw them in my handbag, and found a couple of people staring at me, and smiling. I really don’t understand, what’s the big deal about recycling? I believe everyone must recycle. Did I tell you that the supermarket employees downstairs (in our building that is) call me the “bag lady”, that’s because I always have my cloth shopping bags, or my shopping basket (qoffa) and always refuse having them fill my stuff in plastic bags.  And the thing I hate most is when people feel embarrassed while they’re heading to get rid of their recycling material, I mean I saw a few people who ran to the containers, threw away their stuff, looked around as to make sure no one actually “caught them in the act” and then went on with their lives! since when did doing the right thing become embarrassing?

Anyway, I thought, ok, before getting my groceries, why don’t I go for a quick jog. I’m not a jogging person, I’m more of a power-walking one, but I long for a run every now and then, especially when it’s really early in the morning and the place as well as the weather are tempting. So I thought, I haven’t had a decent run for a while, why not go for a jog right here, right now. The only form of jogging/walking I was able to perform over the past 3 years was with me pushing Adam’s stroller, or carrying him… my dearest son, I really missed him today, he enjoyed it when we went together to the recycling unit and then a walk and then to the supermarket… ok, back to what I was saying, so I started jogging, I was feeling energetic and fresh, and I went on, I ran,I felt my face turning red, and I even started having a problem catching my breath, I ran and ran and ran, for 3 minutes only…. ah, what a shame! Obviously I’m way out of shape, so I just thought I’d stick to power-walking, much easier, but will have to work on my running skills soon.

I enjoyed the walk, I actually had a little pigeon accompany me all along, it was walking really fast, and it slowed down when I did, then sped up when I did, it was cute but freaking weird, I have to say. Then, I got my groceries, got a newspaper from the bookshop nearby, and walked back home.

And that’s my friends, how you treat  yourself to a happy, energy-filled start for the rest of your day.