A guy in a truck honked at me when I was running today.

And you know what?

I smiled.

I couldn’t help it.

I also felt a little proud when our super active Australian neighbor guy checked me out after my run in my stretchy running pants on Monday.

Is this wrong?

Should I be insulted?

Should I feel guilty?

I’m just not sure. But I don’t think so.

Let’s face it, nothing at all happened, had the potential to happen, much less the desire for it to happen, but still, is this the sort of thing to cause an argument with my hubby?

He knows what I look like after a run, so I doubt he’d be concerned anyone would be overly serious about hitting on me, and he’s not really the jealous type, but still, I’m always overly aware of my wedding ring at times like this.

No matter how far away the guy honking is, I always wonder, “Does he know I’m married? Does he see my ring? Never mind that he drove by, staring out the window at me, at sixty miles an hour, and I was running a good twenty or thirty feet off the highway on a side road’s sidewalk, and thus, there was no possible way he saw my hand, much less my ring. And besides, it isn’t like the guy in the truck is really actively pursuing me.

So here’s my question, if I’m not at all attracted or interested in the random honking man in the garbage truck, does it mean that I need to “confess” that the “interaction” took place?

And yes, this may be a silly example, but it’s something I’ve thought a lot about as I’ve watched different married couples interact with others. I mean, I can honestly say I don’t feel at all guilty or concerned about this instance, but I am certainly passionate about my beliefs about what is appropriate in marriage.

For instance, I don’t think wives should be flaunting their bodies to other men, in ANY way. That means modest bathing suits at the pool when Hubs isn’t there, no low cut shirts to the office, and a decent length on all skirts or shorts when you’re out running errands. It’s just out of respect to your husband. If you don’t want him looking at other women, you shouldn’t dress in a way that encourages other men to look at you!

And it goes for men, too, though I doubt most married men own a lot of “provocative” clothing. But it applies in other instances. I know I may be in the minority with this, but I just don’t find it appropriate for someone who’s married to hang out with someone else of the opposite sex one-on-one. (Of course there are special circumstances, but overall, it’s how I see it.)

So, yea, I wore my tight running pants in public, and yes, technically, I got “hit on,” a little bit, and yes, it made me feel strong, sexy, and powerful. And no, I don’t feel guilty about it, because after all that, I rushed inside and made sure I knew where my pepper spray was and my blinds were closed as I got unbundled up and into the shower.

What else is a wife to do when she’s hit on like this? I mean it’s not like I can rip out my ear buds and yell “I’m married!” to any guys that give me a double take while I’m running. I mean, I could, but the neighborhood watch might call the cops on me. Yikes.

I guess I’ll just keep smiling in spite of it all when I get hit on by the garbage man. Wouldn’t you?