Turns Out, Kindness Is Alive & Well In The City

It will come as no surprise to the 58.7 million UK residents who live outside London that elsewhere turned out to be quite the enchanting spot. Besides the fresh air and the cheap(ish) pints and the room to swing a cat — all that boring, wholesome stuff — I found something else: community. Never much of a joiner, in an effort to make friends I sidled along to the local running club and within weeks had a small group of pals and a wider network of acquaintances who would honk their horns and wave delightedly from behind the steering wheel if they happened to drive past while I was out for a jog. It made a refreshing change from running in the city where, since no one I knew had a car, the honk of a horn only ever preceded the cry of “Tits!”