NLEK

So it almost feels like autumn is rolling in. I know its bleddy sweltering outside today but my early morning walks to work offer me a glimpse of the cosy season that I am so much in love with. I left super early this Monday morning and couldn’t help but feel a burst of happiness as the sun rubbed his eyes and peered sleepily over the rooftops almost ready to begin a new day. The fog hung delicately in the air from the night before, reluctant to leave and keen to greet the early morning commuters on their journey to work. Not like the ominous fog of the evening, I like to imagine the fog at dawn to be the cashmere blanket to the outside world, cosy but not restricting as it releases its embrace from the night before to reveal a bright and rested world. The air was so fresh and crisp as it passed my lips with every breath, cooling my already warming limbs as I trek up the not so forgiving hill on yet another expedition to the office. I listen to my i-Pod when I walk, not so much for the music but more for the encouragement that those rhythmic beats give my feet. I like to think that Beyonce is right there with me as my thighs begin to burn in defiance, not yet fully awake from their slumber and unhappy to be disturbed at such an early hour. This particular morning the first song to be dealt from the mechanical music shuffle was an old Arabic track that I downloaded shortly after an excursion to Jordan. I am immediately transported to an Arabic land. I imagine myself walking through early morning markets, replacing the Vauxhall Corsa’s for donkey carts and the noisy traffic horns for the shouts of small Arabic gentlemen excitedly offering their wares to passers-by. I feel the sun begin to gaze upon my skin and for a moment as I wait for the little man to change from red to green I close my eyes and draw in a deep breath. I am fully aware that as my mouth forms into a grin and I stand wearing my embarrassingly fluorescent orange top that the traffic around me is keen to speed away from the local nut job smiling to herself at seven o clock in the morning, tripping over flat pavements and struggling with an over-sized rucksack. However in my state of meditation, frankly I couldn’t care less. I’ve gone from Beyonce in Bournemouth to Jahara in Jordan in less than five minutes and thanks to my ability to transport my mind to distant lands I’m more than ready to tackle a Monday. I have always had an over active imagination and I take great pleasure in being able to disappear into a world far away from my actual location, dreaming of new cultures and un-touched spaces to explore. So if you get a few minutes to yourself today, close your eyes and let yourself fall in to a dream-like state, follow a make-believe path to your favourite place and release your mind from the mundane worries and stresses that day to day life can sometimes bring.