Reflections After Dusk (One Foot in Front of the Other)

These past few weeks I've considered the cross country running season knowing that it's culminating. At this point in the school year those runners whose abilities are best, are mentally preparing for advancing to the finals. Those who are simply a great strength to the team, are sticking to their talent & staying with their personal goals. These sets of runners will gradually separate as this month closes out.

I've also considered the cross country running season because of how much I enjoyed it. Although I wasn't much of a runner, in fact, far from it, ideally said as much to be a "jogger", I did as well as I could under circumstances & knowledge of the day. The cross country team was one of an intimate & tiny nature, much unlike the school's track team, which was fierce & overly huge with random teammates who knew others simply by their face, never their name or grade level.

This "intimacy" fit well with me. We'd finish our school day & head to the track for a two-mile warm-up. Then, a team-wide (both girls & boys alike) stretch, followed by whatever structure our coaches had assembled for that day. We'd complete all of this around dinnertime. Many of us would be picked up by a parent either coming out from the family's house, or straight in from their work day. A few teammates had their vehicles at the school for the day & were able to get themselves on their way. The remainder of our day would be spent replenishing our burned calories & completing our homework for the next school day before heading off to get sufficient sleep.

It worked out great. The time of the year, especially the hours following our high school's school day, made for excellent weather & it typically didn't occur to us until rather late into the October month to consider a sweatshirt; we'd typically be suitably comfortable with just short-sleeve & long-sleeve t-shits.

One thing we definitely didn't need to ever consider: these.

Our school day finished out early enough that there were always enough minutes left of daylight. Of course, for under age eighteen safety purposes, I'm sure there was some concept to this planning. Nevertheless, it was what it was.

Now-a-days I find that running in the eerie hours of the morning to be quite successful. A peaceful bliss when no one's lights are on at home just yet, or -- if they are, they are turning on while passing on by -- they're just rising for the day.

Oftentimes running those same hours late in the day can be important & necessary as well. Especially as we continue to lose daylight & nine-to-fiver's spend their workday "on the clock" during those same daylight hours. Whichever end of the spectrum, something from this list can be important regardless of many a runner's high distain for the apparatus, myself included.

When I first began to look up these items I could only remember the words "neon" & "highlighter". Finally I realized that the key word was "reflective".

I've tried these, which can be difficult because they're bulky all on their own & it can be difficult to layer one's tops underneath them properly. Essentially, wearing them on very muggy days can sometimes be too much of a layer unto itself. And some of them are more "crossing guard" style where there's just too much to them & they get in the way simply by not being simple enough.

I'd think that these would be complicated unless one's waistline lacked any curves 😎; I'd also think that these would shift & offset due to the user's physique, becoming a highly unwarranted nuisance.

These are blue, so they're a "win" in general (here & here in other options/colors), & I suppose they generally captivate me as a most plausible success (they'd be on the upper body & therefore generally speaking visible at eye level to best make use of their intended purpose), although I see them as "sliders" & not staying put on the user's arm/over the arm muscle as intended - despite being manufactured in more than one size, which would create distraction & thereby, frustration.

I've seen these although I'd think that utilizing something that would switch off from garment piece to the next garment piece most flawlessly & intrusively would be most preferred. Besides, I'm not sure I'm convinced that any of these really do assist other's (pedestrians or vehicles) who are out-&-about after the sun goes down, that a pedestrian is close by.

These also made the list. They seem the closest to what I'd find most useful & idealistic. A sturdy & reliable plastic or another concrete, non-moving structure that would clip onto the shoelaces & could be constantly moved & adjusted, &, in doing so, not wearing out the clasp which permits for the moving, providing longevity of the device. This would provide reflection on a user's shoes, all over the top of them, which are what is in definite, constant motion as any pedestrian, a runner, or even a walker, is making their way about - as the day turns to dusk & the sky is simply put: dark. If the plastic's clasp is sturdy enough, then they're a reliable means to the end even though they'd be dangling off of an object (a shoe) that's constantly bouncing, which might otherwise leave the user curious of their security, cause if the object's bouncing that much then it might as well be bouncing right on off the shoe, so not very secure at all. Otherwise curiosity is on this product's reliability (its size). At 1" by 2", I'd think 2" by 3" would be a bit more satisfying & acceptable. Though they do come in four colors...The attachment is a long Velcro strap which is to be cut by the user to accommodate their personal interest. This does seem to have some serious promise, though not what exactly "what the doctor ordered" 😏😉...



These links are affiliate links to Amazon as well as the image link in the top left.

If you'd like to shop my general Amazon Store, click here & Thank You!