Stop #2: Stoplight

The next stop on this run is a little bit down the major road near my house: Blackrock Road. This is the first part of the run where you will encounter a busy intersection with a stop light. The other street in this intersection is called Upper Indian Head Road, aptly named because of the large Lenape Indian population that formerly lived in the area. For me, passing this point was a major milestone in maturing and gaining trust. When I was younger, I was not allowed to go past this point since my parents did not want me to cross a (relatively) dangerous street. I would be allowed to run in the adjacent neighborhood, which was a bit larger and had some more safe loops I could traverse, but the light was always off-limits. Eventually, as a got older, my parents let me go past this point and cross the street. While I was apprehensive to do so at first, eventually I decided to try and found my favorite loop to run on: the one I am taking you down now. The Lenape youth also had to go through coming-of-age rituals where they were entrusted with a larger responsibility within the tribe depending on their gender and what was needed. And while my ritual may be less difficult, its impact felt just the same.