Your arms spread out wide as you welcome the noontime sun on your cheeks and palms. The green grass reaches out to tickle your knees and you wiggle your toes in the black seeded ground.
You lower your arms but keep smiling; listening to the birds twitter and watching the cardinals fly from tree to tree in the small copse right outside the sunkissed field. Not far away, corn sprouts and sunflowers bloom, making a beautiful picture as the sun silhouettes behind them.
The scent of springtime fills the air when you breathe in, sending a flow of joy through your body.
Then, you run. Warm air blows at your face as you laugh, enjoying the feeling of soil on your feet, grass lightly touching your knees and sunflower pedals falling gently in your hair as you blow past.
You feel like you are flying with the formation of doves overhead, free and glad, without much of a worry in the world.
You slow when you reach a white lattice arch. Though seemingly simple, its significant beauty comes from the vines with light purple flowers. It seems so out of place, and yet it doesn't.
You walk through the arch and come into a garden, filled with flowers of nearly every type. There is everything from tulips and daisies to roses and marigolds. You make your way in front of you and reach a stone pond with a fountain. Inside the pond there are lily pads and lilies floating all around. There is a splash when you see frogs and toads, then fish and turtles swimming every which way.
You grin, then walk around the edge of the pond. You stop and look around you. The garden is huge, and you cannot possibly explore it all. So you sit and dip your toes in the pond, savoring the beauty while it lasts.
You laugh as minnows nibble at your toes, withdrawing your feet from the cold water and rising from your seat. You take one last glance at the garden, then start to run again.
After running for a long while, rocks form in shapes of stars as you rush past, each tip of the star pointing in a different direction. You stop in the center of a flat stone formation.
Two tips point back in the direction you came, back to the garden. The tip that points towards the left has the sound of rushing water, like a river. The tip that points to the right smells of salty sea water. The tip that points in front of you leads to a forest.
Deciding you need clean water, you turn and run to the left, towards the sound of the river. The river is not a long run ahead, you are there within minutes. You reach the small line of trees and find a steep downhill climb to the river. You grimace, seeing the loose rocks. You are very thirsty, and reach a verdict.
You slowly squat down and step out one of your legs. Rocks poke at your feet as you reach down your other foot and begin to almost slide down. You grasp a protruding tree root and step your way down. Slowly and cautiously, you reach for the next lowest tree root, continuing your clamber down.
And so you continue this careful and precarious climb until your feet reach ground. You let go of your death grip on a tree root and land. The rocks are loose and smooth, and so you sigh whenever your feet sink and you feel the slight dampness down below.
You walk down to the water’s edge and sit on your heels, watching as the crystal clear water rushes by. You smile at the coolness beside the river. You cup your hands and drink the icy water.
After you finish, you dip your fingertips and brush them up against the algae. The rocks are smooth and river worn, comfortable to walk on. You sigh, supposing it is time to leave. You take one last look at the wall of trees and rocky caves that foxes must hide in, and the rushing water that just wants you to jump in and swim.
You smile and breathe in, and then turn around and walk across to the wall. You reach up and grasp a tree root and repeat the entire process again, moving from one tree root to another, stepping up and up, higher and higher.
You reach the top and scramble your way onto the ground, then run back the direction you came. You blow past the trees and listen to the birds chirp and the squirrels bark just before you reach the star.
Once you reach the star and are forced to decide again. Straight ahead, to avoid detouring? Or take a dip in the warm sea water? Biting your lip, you look to the right, then ahead. You wheel to the right, for your curiosity is too much!
You run past the floral flowerbeds and through the stone arch and slow as you reach the sand of the beach. You are completely alone, nothing but the seagulls and pelicans. You smile as you breathe in the sea air, then resume running, careful about the seashells.
You reach the muddy wet sand, dampened from the tide. You stop and wait as the tide washes up, gently slinging seaweed on your feet. You walk deeper, until you are up to your knees with seawater. The water is warm as the tide hits your face. It feels good.
As the next wave comes you turn around and run the best you can on sea sand. The tide pushes you forward, then tries to suck you back, but you keep running. You get to the dry beach sand, now sticking to your feet, and run back through the arch joyfully. You get to the star and immediately go straight ahead and into the forest.
You breathe the smell of pine trees and hop over pine cones as you run through the small forest. The squirrels fuss at you for running under their nests and you just laugh. Birds fly all around you, chirping and squawking for disturbing their peaceful solitude.
You see a flash of a small red fox, slinking away to its cave. You hear baby birds chirping happily as their mother brings them worms. You feel the warm spring air rushing at your face. You smell the pines. You feel the pine needles and, unfortunately, the pine cones. You taste the wind.
You hear pouring, thundering water. There is an opening ahead of you. You run through it and see a waterfall, thundering its way into a wide stream. You grin at this beautiful sight. You run across the green grass and in between two oak trees and you go up to water’s edge and step onto a large rock, large enough for you to lay yourself out on.
You stretch out and let the tip of your hair dip into the water. You shut your eyes and listen to the calming sound of the waterfall.
You spread your arms out to the side and let your fingertips brush the water. You smile at the coolness. After lying here for a while, you sit up.
You glance at it again before rising and jumping back across to the grass and running away. You find a stone path and follow it. You enjoy the nature, for your journey’s almost done.
You run past glorious mountains and run up and over hills, all completely in tune to what is all around you. And you never stop smiling.
Finally, you are in a neighborhood, and you wonder if it was all a daydream. Maybe. Maybe not.