• Friendly and welcoming are more inviting •
[2 MIN READ]
Standing in the store as we waited for the run to start, Tania struck up a conversation with a customer paying for her JRC purchase. She must have asked about the ‘huddled mass waiting to run free’ (thanks to Emma Lazarus) that was the group of us Growlers. As a way to connect that customer to us as a group to join, I suggested she take our weekly attendance photo. Then I promptly insisted she take only one photo, per tradition: one and done. Then I promptly chastised her for taking 2 and argued with her when she insisted that the other was to cover the possibility that someone blinked. I may have my reasons for insisting on the tradition, but Jason and others dismissed me. We want to discourage people from running with as a fine a crew as we are by yelling at them? I promptly backed down and socialized nicely as I dismissed my lapse in courtesy as compulsiveness.
A proponent of mine might defend my lapse as an isolated occurrence except that it wasn’t one. A number of the crew members hastily observed that I had done the same when we ran the inaugural Fountains Route the week before. First I had interrupted a pair enjoying the arboretum as they sat together on a blanket when I asked for help with the picture there. I also then chastised the volunteer after insisting upon one photo. In my defense, her execution was even more egregious because she took 4 photos. From different heights. That’s extra effort to weed out the worst among too many options with infinitesimal variations. Then, too, crew members had to dismiss my truculence. (It’s not that they don’t understand the practice. They’ll insist on it as much as I will. It’s just that they have better discretion on when to enforce it.)
The third time was the charm, though, when I passed another pedestrian during last week’s run, this one with a child in a stroller. She too asked if ours was a running group, whereupon I slowed to walking speed to explain about the club. As a runner who was taking a child-rearing break, she was interested enough in us Growlers that she volunteered her email address to receive weekly messages. So, Jenn, welcome to the list. We’re happy to have you join us whenever you’re able and ready. I promise to operate on the warmer end of the social spectrum. At least until you’re comfortable enough within the crew to join the public chidings of me when I’m not.
-CtCloser (Calvinthe), “Negative split or positive splat” #dothedue
FINE PRINT ¶Likeness used with permission. ¶Text and photos (unless otherwise stated): Calvin Wang (Wäng), CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. ¶Cross-posted: (1) Facebook JRC Growlers Group Run (2025’06’18’W Run Message), (2) GGR email list, (3) Cerebruns by CtCloser. ¶This website posting: Cerebrun with added caption.
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