1. One of my favorite things to do before starting my day is to take a jog in the local park. My mind will
clear, and I will be able to face whatever may happen that day. It makes me appreciate the simple
things in life a lot more. Jogging in the park during early hours opens up opportunities to see
different scenes and portraits and open my mind to a new perspective.
Entering the park, a slight breeze rustles the leaves making them fall to the solid ground one by one.
The sun begins to rise, waking the tired sleepers. Flowers are vast, and they conceal the freshly cut
green grass. There are sun-colored daisies, vivid purple lilies, carrot tinted hydrangeas, and cotton
candy pink hyacinths. The pathway is nothing more than dirt littered with random rocks. The ground,
moist from the night before, causes my footing to slip, keeping me on my toes. There is a white
picket fence that runs along the trail, reminding me of the one running along Marilia and Matthew's
property in the movie, Anne of Green Gables. The park is barren except for an elderly couple
feeding the ducks and a couple of fellow joggers breathing in the fresh morning air.
Walking by the minute green and brown tinted pond, the milky white, soft feathered ducks can be
heard a block away as they quack and battle for the food being thrown for them. The elderly couple,
dressed in their black silk slacks and crème colored matching sweaters, watch in amusement as
they are the ones causing all the excitement. Behind the oddly shaped rocks and algae in the pond,
orange, red, and yellow fish dart back and forth. They only come out of hiding when miniscule hints
of bread begin to fall. If you look closely enough, you can see a turtle, colored forest green, blending
in with the algae.
Beyond the pond lies the lonely playground. The brick red jungle gym sits there in its solitude,
longing for some eager company. In between parts of the jungle gym is the bridge to partake in
children's fantasies from battling trolls, or patrolling the fort. An ugly putrid brown covers it, and it is
obvious that the screws are becoming unhinged, and it is only so long before it comes crashing
down. The swings rock gently, and the sound of the metal rubbing together can be heard. Orange
and bright in color, the swirl shaped slide echoes the belly laughs and shrilly screams of children
who have dared to go down the slide. The merry-go-round, an orange red color with splashes of blue
across the edges, is still like a parked car. No one is there to move it or spin it; There are no bursts
of laughter or tears for when someone falls off and scrapes their knee.
The park offers a variety of scenery, which make the jog more worthwhile. As the end of the jog
nears, my mind is refreshed and my body is energized for the day. Unforeseen thoughts pop into my
head just as new answers for old problems unfold. One beautiful morning run can change your day
and make all the difference.