As I stepped out into the cool summer night, my thoughts and worries of the day slipped away with the brisk wind that floated through the streets. With the music in my ears on high, I began my run into the dark depths of my neighborhood. For me, this was more than just exercise. It was an opportunity for me to escape. Escape the nagging realities, responsibilities and issues of my everyday life. For thirty minutes I could run free of all these things, clearing my mind before my same routine was to start over again in the morning.

Taking in the dreamlike scene around me, my pace grew stronger as I progressed. With my mind now blank, the same senses I had used hours before grew stronger and more alert. I was able to notice the immature dew developing on the grass before me, hear the quiet chirps of the crickets hidden around me and smell the sweet scent of the pine trees that enveloped the passing yards. I was a lone witness to nature’s raw beauty during the late hours of the night.

With the streetlights flickering on and off around me as I begun my ascent up the steep hill that separated me from my final destination, my breathing grew heavier and my heart rate grew faster. Sensing a climax was near; my adrenaline took control as I surged forward up the hill. This was my chance to exhaust all the pent up energy of the day in one last effort. With this last push a regular night’s sleep would turn into one that saw no dreams or disturbances. This test of my will, one that saw the desires my mind pitted against those of my body, pushes me through my homestretch as began to slow into a gradual walk as I entered my driveway. With my new found runner’s high, I began the routine for the next day.