America, land of the free, right? Wrong. I do not feel free. Rather, I do not feel free because of the danger people present in my community.
A few weeks ago, a woman was running on a nearby public trail one afternoon when she was suddenly grabbed from behind and dragged into the woods where she was sexually assaulted. And this is not the first time an incident like this has happened, either in Connecticut or other communities across the country.
"That's why you shouldn't run alone." "Always take a friend or one of the dogs with you." Friends and family members have always tried to convince me it's not safe to adventure through the multitude of woodsy paths and trails of the Farmington Valley alone. And I partially agree. Yes, it's not safe to explore in solitude because I'd have no way of getting home if I were to trip and fall or break an ankle while running miles away from my parked car. But the real reasoning behind their argument, to avoid a similar incident as the recent one I mentioned above, is crap. Why should I be stripped of my freedom and have restrictions because of the fear of what other strange, sick people in this world may do?
I love exploring the wilderness alone. Going for a run, discovering a new trail, and enjoying new scenery by myself is how I like to relax and escape from everyday stress and emotions. It always has been. Perhaps it's hereditary, since my dad used to love hiking. Whatever the cause of the appeal, I feel at peace with myself and life when I'm on a run, lost in the woods, surrounded by the beauty of mother nature.
Some people write, some meditate, others watch TV or read the newspaper. When I want to be alone with my thoughts, I run. I run far. And I run alone.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, freedom is "the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint." The fact that someone else's actions can inhibit me from doing something I love, running without a companion, is proof I am not totally free. It's not fair.
I usually am not profoundly feminist. Most of the time, I tend to feel pretty equal as a woman in this world. But when someone tells me I cannot do something as simple as go for a relaxing run alone because a man may be hiding in the woods, planning to hurt me, it's frustrating. It's sad that even as same-sex marriage has been made legal in all 50 states and a woman is running for president, that women still cannot go for a run alone and enjoy the world in peace without the restriction of fear. It's disgusting to read about the woman who were assaulted near my hometown a few weeks ago. It's maddening that my mother has to worry every time I go running alone. I do not feel free.
