Almost every single day, I run with the cross country team across a fairly busy street. But this street doesn’t have a crosswalk or stop light, so we’re forced to search for gaps between the cars to safely cross the street. It can be like a real-life game of Crossy Road, but with slightly more dire consequences.

But sometimes, after seeing us waiting to cross the road, cars will stop and allow us to cross. For this, I am incredibly thankful. Every time a car stops, I always breathe a sigh of relief. All the conflict and confusion on trying to figure out if a gap between the cars is big enough automatically fades away. And the awkward dance that occurs when you are not sure if you can go or if the car is going disappears, too.

When the cars stop and wait, it creates a safe passage without the cross country team having to worry about prospective cars that could fly past the intersection. Instead of having to slow down or stop to wait, we can continue to run.

For the people in the cars that take the few seconds to wait for the cross country team to run by, on behalf of the Liberty cross country team, I thank you.