About Independence Day and Running

I'd like to wish all my readers a happy Independence Day...America's, that is...and may God continue to bless our great country and its people.  If you are a regular news junkie, regardless of your preferred sources, you're bound to get the impression that half of the United States is the mortal enemy of the other half, and that we are on the verge of terrible civil conflict, if not war itself.  I sincerely hope that isn't the case, but as Forrest Gump's mom often said, "Stupid is as stupid does" and it's been my experience over the years that there is no shortage of stupidity around me...maybe I need to go find a cave to hide in.  But before that happens, I notice that, apart from all the mass shootings going on, it still seems rather peaceful...if I can with a straight face describe the actions of my fellow motorists "peaceful".  But that's another topic for another time...today I am relaxing at home on my day off and avoiding running in a local three-mile race that is held annually on this holiday.  I don't know, it just seems that my motivation for involvement in running on any social level has dissipated and left it as a purely personal, individual activity.  The thought of shelling out more than thirty bucks to drive down to Westside Park and get bunched in with all these people, very few of whom I have any sense of connection or community toward, and then running in the middle of a stampede while trying to avoid getting knocked off my feet for some reason no longer appeals to me.  I'm still holding out hope of some longer distance races starting in October, but for now my maximum level of social involvement in the sport has me going to my local gym a couple of times a week to run on one of their treadmills...this I began doing last Friday and intend to make a regular activity.  And if some strange, unexpected urge compels me to run with others before autumn, there is always the weekly, free 5K race held every Saturday morning at Gainesville's pretty Depot Park...