Meeting a Fellow Traveller

Today, I went searching for a slightly different view of the sunrise over the Anacostia River.  I was also running a little short on time for the morning ambulation, and because of the confluence of these events took a route less travelled.  I did get a slight different view of the rising of the sun, but that's not the only thing that happened.

Sunrise on the Anacostia as Seen Under the 11th Street Bridge - Washington, DC

Shortly after taking this picture, I walked up to the crest of the 11th Street Bridge in Southeast, Washington, DC, and on my way to the top I was passed by a relatively young woman jogging and carrying a video camera on a tripod.

She set up her camera on one of the pedestrian overlooks facing downriver to the west and started filming.  I was on the phone with Rory Conlan talking about agreeing on a "new" thirty day practice, so I took little notice.  On the way back, I did think it a bit odd to be filming to the west, and I decided to ask her what the jogging and the filming were all about.

She told me she was filming the sunrise (to the west mind you) over the Anacostia for a documentary film. I countered that I'd been considering setting up a camera to take a series of still photos to create a time lapse sequence, and she said that particular approach was on her list as well. She expressed some concern that she'd be able to find a spot where a camera wouldn't be bothered by other people, and I allowed that I shared similar reservations.

At the end of the conversation, I moseyed along, and as I walked away realized that I'd not given her my name and she'd not volunteered her own moniker. In retrospect, the civil approach would have been to introduce myself, and given a chance to have another go at that conversation I would have tried the introduction route.  I'm not sure it would have worked, but it would have been worth a try anyway.

This realization coupled with the recent conversation between Rory and I has solidified in my mind what form my next thirty day practice will take.  I'm going to introduce myself to a stranger every day for thirty days and see what falls out of that experience. I'm not sure where it will lead, if anywhere, but I'm amazed I have lived for over four decades and have never tried an experiment of this nature.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow and the new experiences that the new addition to my practice might add. I may even have to get a series of business cards printed up to aid in the introductions. I've got a number of professions to list, so it certainly wouldn't be boring. It might even be time to put that Newport, OR phone number to use.