Late Afternoon on Tuesday, September 14

I take a deep breath.... which is followed by subsequent deep breaths.... and soon I realise that every single breath penetrating my lips is that of the deep cleansing kind.... the kind that I focus on ingesting when I feel stressed or frustrated... the kind that is sometimes elusive but typically intentional... the kind that is now flowing in and out of my lungs effortlessly... repeatedly... multiple deep cleansing breaths!!!

© Christine Mastroianni, all rights reserved

And so this is the view from my location this past Tuesday afternoon as I am enjoying a post work run, complete with my iPod and a healthy dose of determination. Okay, it is technically a post work 'walk-to-run', but I won't chastise myself with such minor details. The important thing is that I was never a 'runner', and now here I am.... running! And feeling pretty darn terrific, too! I find myself tickled with chills as I hear John K. Sampson's lyrics to Aside weaving out of my headphones : "....I am so much better than I used to be."  (Psst.. it's The Weakerthans. Google them. You won't be sorry. My somewhat recent exposure to the quirky and ingenious world of indie music is just one of the ways my life has been enriched in the past year or so.)

So I step on... running, then walking, then running again, listening to a myriad of auditory stimulation, both old and new.... everything from Pete Yorn to Madonna, Metric to Blue Rodeo, Gaslight Anthem to Black Eyed Peas.... it's all working for me here. The air is refreshingly clean and the trees are standing tall and proud along the Welland Recreational Canal, their mature leaves dancing in the wind, as if waving at me and cheering me along. I love watching them.. almost as much as I love watching the clouds which, on this day, are crystal clear and vibrant in every possible shade of white... a metamorphic background to my hour of "me time" that I've unapologetically carved out of my busy cluster of responsibilities.

© Christine Mastroianni, all rights reserved

As I run, and walk, I find myself erupting into spontaneous releases of laughter, just because I feel so good and so alive and so free. And the best part is it flows out onto the rest of my day, seeping into every facet of my routine, nourishing my evening with confidence, patience, and vitality, not to mention an ample supply of endorphins tossed in for good measure!!! This is definitely one of those activities that I am happy to have made a part of my life! And by the way, I have every intention of removing "walk-to" from the equation some day!