My Escape It is just after 9:00 am on a sunny September morning. My feet have just hit the dirt of the parking lot where just a few other cars are parked. There are always the same few people who like to come here early in the morning to walk their dogs, walk themselves, or, if they're like me, they are here to run. I step from the dew soaked grass onto the clay and dirt mixture that now cover what used to be train tracks. Thoughts from my week about family, work, school, and friends along with anything else that one girl could possibly worry about, swirl around in my head like lightening bugs trying to find their way out of a mason jar. I need to let these thoughts and emotions out of my mind. A deep breath fills my lungs with crispy cold air. I begin to take off. One foot after the other until I find my pace. Suddenly the parking lot fades into the distance as if it were only a mirage. Trees that are as high as sky scrapers tower over me allowing the sunlight to disperse thought the branches. The leaves on the trees are entering their final stages of life, turning them to the most magnificent shades of red, orange, and yellow. This time of year, I always think, is what makes New England such a beautiful place to live. Along side of me, out of my peripheral vision, I see a black squirrel gathering some acorns to haul back to his nest for the winter. My feet continue to trample the ground below me cushioning my feet from the tracks below. The dirt underneath me is moist and a deeper brown than usual which resulted from the rain we received last night. Perfect running conditions, I think to myself. My mind and my body are now at a tug of war. According the old wooden posts that jut out of the ground like newly bloomed flowers, I have run one full mile and three-quarters of my second mile. The body that I am encased in is exhausted, however, my mind is