Moment Of Becoming

Finalist in the 'Timeless Tales 2011' competition

I am running.

My lungs heave with the intake of oxygen and my legs bare the pain of kilometres past. The minute bursts of sunlight through the relentless wall of trees flick tauntingly in my periphery. I can feel the soft dirt path moving beneath me as each foot imprints, marking their territory like a dog. I quickly glance behind at my prominent trail. I am proud to have made my mark, trivial though it may seem, yet its fatality is inevitable. I refocus on my goal.

I look forward and breathe deeply. I can feel the soul of the forest engulfing me. The fresh foliage, the moistened soil, the dew drops from dawn, the humid air, I breathe it all in and it encompasses me. I belong. My mere presence, my life and my breath is all it takes to find a sanctuary. I laugh and the forest laughs with me. The wind gushes through the trees and my ears are prized with a chorus of giggles. I dig my heels in deeper and run faster than I have ever run.

I am no longer just a runner, trying to win a race. I feel a sense of meaning and belonging and I am no longer just running for myself. A flock of birds fly closely above me, tickled by the treetops. I imagine they are racing with me. I muster the strength of their wings combined and I begin to feel weightless. My feet whip across the earth at such a pace I begin to feel as if I’m flying with them. The earth gradually distances from me and I am soaring. The birds fade from view, yet I still feel their wings beneath me, within me. The win is clearly mine. There are no runners in sight and with the aid of the nature around me I feel invincible, yet no moment so perfect goes without imperfections.

I trip. I am falling. I watch my beautiful surroundings twist and turn as I roll among the mud and vegetation. A shoelace, I tripped over an undone shoelace. I remove my problematic shoes. Nothing is more liberating than feeling the fresh mud squelch between my toes. The direct contact between the earth and I is intense and real. It feels so right and natural that the notion of shoes begins to lose all meaning.

One more twist in the path and the end is in sight! I can see the coloured cones that mark the finish line, the celebratory flags and the awaiting crowd. As they see me they begin cheering. I dance over the finish line as if I were in slow motion. With a smile for a face, I join in the cheers with the proud onlookers, but I do not stop running. I am running, but this is no longer a race. I embrace the engulfing sense of something bigger than myself and I smile freely as I transcend my materialistic existence.

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