Strength in Numbers

I base a lot of what I do on what I observe other people doing. That's pretty much how you learn everything when you're a kid--by watching your parents, or older siblings, or kids on the playground. But even now I still try to keep an eye out for what others are doing, because chances are if I'm the only one doing something a certain way...and everyone else is doing something another way...I'm probably wrong. And I hate being wrong.

It's a really sinking feeling when you look around and find that you're all alone, either physically or in action, or emotion or I'll just stop trying to explain it and launch into examples.

When I was at school there was a certain time of night that no one on campus was out walking. Usually a Friday night after dinner time, but before everyone went out for the night. And every once in awhile I would have to walk across campus at that time to get to a friend's dorm. On the 8 minute walk I literally wouldn't walk past a single other human being. And it would make me really paranoid. Did I not get some really important reverse 911 text that a mad man is loose on campus and I should be indoors? Is everyone at some really awesome concert that I didn't know about?

Mom? Dad? ...Uncle Frank?

Also at school when you were taking a test, it was a terrible feeling when everyone started to get out of their seat at the same time and pass in the test, but meanwhile you still had half of the test left. Or later when you'd talk to people about the test and they'd say, "I didn't think that was bad at all!" and you were thinking "I'm pretty sure I would have escaped that test with more dignity had I left the whole thing blank. And written my name as Donald Duck."

I know I've mentioned going online for medical issues in an earlier post, but I'm going to talk about online posts again, because for some reason they have the ability to really make or break me. The other day I was at the gym and all the good treadmills were taken. I had to run on this scary tank-looking treadmill called the Woodway. I've run on it a decent amount of times before, and finally, running on it the other day, I came to the conclusion that I actually hate it. It is SO much harder for me to run at the same speed on that thing than it is on a normal treadmill. I was sucking wind.

So I went home, got on my laptop and started searching for reviews of this treadmill...because it's not good enough that just I hate it. Everyone else has to hate it too. Then I'll feel better.

EVERYONE loves this stinking treadmill. It's a tiny slice of heaven in the gym. The world's best athletes train on this treadmill. If you buy one, it lasts FOREVER. "Best purchase I've ever made!" -Said everyone on every forum I could find.

What the hell??

I'm sure there's something to be said for being confident in your own decisions, blah blah blah, blaze your own trail...but blazing your own trail gets dangerous when there's only one person there to put out the fire.

"Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason."
-Jerry Seinfeld