Starting my run early in the morning is actually the best thing. The morning coolness refreshes and fills me, and when I start running early, a completely different, alert feeling arises within me. It's like a large, wide space opening up, and in this space I can expand and experience the life around me with an inner serenity.

Here's something quite mundane: When I walk into a village, the dogs start barking from afar as soon as they catch my scent. The smaller the village, the more freely the dogs roam around and run towards me, barking and yowling.
It helps immensely to stay relaxed and continue walking calmly.
By the time the whole circus has died down, I'm already far behind the village I've just passed through.
I much prefer the cows; when I pass their pasture, the whole community stops grazing and looks in my direction, silent, curious, and with a peaceful long-suffering in their eyes. Cows are simply friendly.