Walking at Night in the Neighborhood

 January 20, 2022

I went for my nightly walk tonight to get the rest of my 10,000 steps for the day.  As I was on the return jaunt, I had to cross a neighborhood park to make it to my street. On the far side of the park, there was a little red car parked, engine idling, lights off.  I'd have to cross right by it to make my way to toward my house. Bear in mind that I walk generally between the 10 and 11 p.m. hour.  It's dark, and many household have settled in for the night. The vehicle was directly in my path, and it occurred to me that I am incredibly annoyed that even in the year 2022, the things that ran through my mind were, "What if that's someone lying in wait to abduct an unsuspecting passer-by?  How far around the car do I need to walk in order to give myself a shot if I need to break into a run? Are the houses near enough that if I screamed, someone would hear? If someone hopped out of the car, could I get a scream out before someone's hand reached out to cover my mouth? What can I do if there is more than one person in the car?" I was not afraid, but this this a normal thought process for women out walking, taking up space in the world. I have to be aware; I have to always be wary. Why is this still the norm?