The other day I startled my elderly mother by walking at a normal pace. The other day I was visiting my mom in the physical rehab facility she was staying in. The staff said she had permission to be taken for a walk, so she got in her wheelchair and I took off pushing her down the hall toward the elevator. Me: Do you know where a good place for a walk is around here? Mom: Whoa! Slow down! Why are you running? Me: (slows down to a stop) What? I'm not running...? What's wrong? Mom: It felt like you were running fast! There was even a breeze on my face, you shouldn't be running like that! Me: Mmm, well I was just walking like I normally do, sorry about that! I wasn't running or even in a hurry, but I guess I naturally walk fast and just wasn't thinking. I'll slow down. The thing is, I understand what's going on. I am petite, 5'3" BMI 18.6. When you feel light as a feather you tend to enjoy moving around a lot, and I am pretty high energy. My mom says, "You are like a hummingbird, tiny and always flitting around full of energy!". I always chalk it up to her perception being skewed because she is 78 and feeble, but I think her perception has also been skewed by spending the past several months in hospitals/rehabs. This means she has been surrounded by bariatric barges who can barely manage to shuffle their own massive girths from point A to point B... is it any wonder than when they have to push her around in a wheelchair, they move so slowly that when a normal human like me pushes her at a normal walking pace, my Mom is startled into thinking I am RUNNING because it feels so fast in comparison? Thin privilege is being able to walk briskly without even thinking of it, because it is so easy and feels so awesome.