Excerpt: Down the Path

This afternoon, near sunset, the sun was shining through the red and gold leaves of the trees in the park. It looked like the trees were on fire, but it was warm and beautiful. The light reflected in the gently flowing stream and I could hear people playing and laughing in the distance, but the path was empty. I don’t know if that was normal for this time of day, but it seemed strange to me. Strange, but comforting, as though the path knew I was coming and it had reserved its whole length for me alone so that I could process my thoughts and work to calm myself without worrying about anyone else.
I started walking slowly, picking up my pace until I was starting to breathe a little heavily, until I could feel my heart rate climb to a comfortable, but challenging pace. It was a new sensation for me, but one that I welcomed, for it helped me move to a new place in my mind. A place where I could be alone, concentrating on my breathing and my pace, without thinking about work or money or my mystery woman. It was just me and my breathing, with the stream playing back-up to the beats of my feet on the path.
The air was cool, coming in through my nostrils, filling my lungs with freshness and light. I could feel myself start to sweat, just a little, on my forehead and between my shoulder blades. The crisp autumn air made the sweat almost sting, but it was refreshing to feel something new on my skin. This was a clean sweat. Something I had created while bettering myself. I was feeling cleansed.