The Scattering of the Leaves

My body is tired. I leave the gym with a sense of accomplishment and hope. Running and sweating to Mika can be helpful to anybody. But it's the feeling I have afterward that really locks my mind in place. 

I am walking slowly, my legs aching slightly, and listening to the very opening of "Any Other World." The piano notes, two alternating at first, and then going into a recognizable tune, play off of the wind scattering the leaves across the sidewalk at my feet. It is a simple moment, but one that stays in my mind for a little while after, bringing me some kind of peace. 

The people walking in the same area, all listening to their own songs with firmly secured headphones, they all stay the course. They walk, undisturbed by the dead, curling leaves tossing about in patterns unrecognizable by human eyes. One girl in-particular stares pointedly at the ground ahead of her, her light pink sweatshirt shrouding her beating heart. 

I stop, maybe only for a moment, less than a second, watching the leaves as they are thrown about. The intro with the piano, before Mika's voice comes in, lasts less than 20 seconds. This feeling lasted maybe twenty milliseconds. This moment. 

It was enough.