Nighttime Walks in Downtown Sarasota

I love walking at night, so when I got a less chilly night and some free time on Monday, I took advantage of the bus system to go downtown. Naturally I brought along my trusty camera and 50mm to see what sort of images I could scrounge up.

Being a woman walking alone isn't something I usually think about, if I'm honest. I'm used to being somewhat of a loner-I greatly enjoy people and being in good company, however taking a walk by myself is one of my greatest pleasures. It causes my mother all sorts of worry I'm sure, though I always tell her that I'm fine, I'm safe, and people know where I am.

If I am completely and totally honest, I don't feel that me being a woman should limit what I like to do. Sure, I'm certainly careful around dark alleyways and overly persistent strangers, though I've also found the greatest individuals through my walks downtown by myself, and have discovered that being open to others, even if it is just a smile and eye contact, can make the world feel a little less scary.

As far as precautions that I've taken as a woman walking alone at night in a populated city, I can't say there are too many. My clothing habits are pretty much the same, a sweater or blouse (or more commonly, band tee) with a jacket, jeans, and my all too comfortable Converse. Sometimes I'll tie my hair back, but again, that is more often because I needed it out of my face. I know how to defend myself and keep myself in good shape, but again, these are all things that I've done merely because they fit into my lifestyle. I enjoy soccer, so I play it; I run because I like to; I do strength training because being able to do more pushups than some of your guy friends can come in handy some times.

I'm definitely not naive about the world around me. I know bad things can happen, and might even happen to me in my lifetime, but I'm not going to be afraid of the world because of the what-ifs. I'm also not going to be stupid (I promise, mum), but I think people need to stop viewing the world as a dangerous place where one foot outside your door means death and start living more, experiencing more, understanding more. 

By learning about the world we live in, just maybe we can create a more peaceful one.