My Clean and Well-Lighted Place
...confused or troubled. Alone on the track, I am able to rationally sift through my cluttered brain. I can finally make sense of all my anxieties. I’ve come to realize that I am a layered person and at times my brain goes into overload. By running around a track I am kneading my brain, dislodging the painful memories and stressful thoughts. As I start the second mile my thoughts begin to disintegrate. I start to concentrate more on the beating of my heart and the rhythm of my breaths. When I start to think that perhaps I’ve gone far enough and should end my run, a strange feeling starts to come over me. My limbs begin to tingle and all of a sudden the pains and discomforts subside and I am the bionic woman. My strides lengthen and are filled with confidence that I rarely possess. It feels so good to run confidently, as if I am awakening my muscles from hibernation. Most of the time I feel myself shrinking into my shell, fearful of the world around me and the people that poke and stare. When I’m running I’m filled with more confidence than ever before. I forget about the other people watching me and I can finally just be myself, free from the chains and pressures. Time fades away and I dissolve into the air, no longer stuck in this crazy world. As the laps go by I start to feel the effects of a three-mile run and my legs sway uneasily. My trance is broken and I break my...