[park]

I recently discovered it only takes me eight minutes to drive to Laurelhurst. And now that the sun is regularly visiting Portland, I've been going there most lunch breaks. It's arguably one of the prettiest parks in Portland, and free from the dear bridglings who love to yell at me when I crossword by the Willamette River. (I'm telling you, if you want some encouragement about your recent gluteal workouts, walk to the Esplanade under the Hawthorne Bridge. The people there will give you a lot of positive comments. At least, I chose to take them positively.)

Laurelhurst, in the opposite way, is primarily free of people. There are a few scattered loungers or lunchtime walkers or family bike enthusiasts, but they don't really talk to you. I love kicking off my shoes and running up a grassy hill to sit and let the sun and shade move around me in the breeze. There is much serenity, many daisies, and few bugs, so it's a perfect forty-four minute break in the middle of my day.Don't you think that reading is better outside? I swear that time just slows down when I walk into the park. I can't think of anywhere else where I'm more aware of my breath, the words on the page, or the aches in my heart.

Oh, yeah, those.

Still, it's good to remember those aches in the middle of an air-conditioned office day. They remind me that I'm alive, that I'm growing, and that I've got a tremendous hope.