Travel Diary: One Sunday Afternoon at Central Park of Skopje, Macedonia

By Flora El

Don’t you just love October?

October is the most colorful season. The warm sunny day creates an aura of positive energy and goodwill.

The days and nights had been hectic since medical school started, and I felt drained. However, this Sunday I woke up with a positive attitude and I prepared myself physically and mentally to go out for a run. Maybe today seemed brighter than the other days.

Maybe it’s because of the sunlight that reflected the green and light brown trees surrounding my huge bedroom windows.

Maybe it’s the gold shining light that hit my eyes in the morning and for the first time in a while I woke up smiling instead of feeling grumpy that I needed to get up early in the morning.

This sunny disposition was a feeling I wouldn’t exchange for anything - I felt free of duties and responsibilities. I just knew that I had to love ME that day and so I did. I left my gorgeous, comfortable bed and had a good oatmeal breakfast with my roommate. The windows of my living room were open and I could still hear the birds happily singing and cheering the warm October sunny days.

I just took a minute and thought to myself,

“The world out there is beautiful, go explore, have fun and breathe some October fresh air! Go raise your adrenaline while running to your favorite songs!”

I put on my comfortable running clothes and headphones – and just like that I felt like I could do anything! I could climb the top of Mont Blanc!

To those who have seen the famous American television show, “Friends”, I ran like Phoebe Buffay! I felt like a happy kid and didn’t mind anyone looking at me. I ran like no one was watching, and sang like no one was listening. I felt my adrenaline rush, and I felt my heart pumping blood faster than it ever did. It was the best feeling - a feeling of pleasure and explosion of good energy, a perfect combination!

I felt free and I felt like ME, and most of all I remembered to love myself and my body. I stopped at the City Park and rested on the grass surrounded by beautiful colorful trees. I had a date with the artistic-me whom I had forgotten in a long time.

Most of the time, the routine and the busy schedule occupies our total being that that we tend to forget about the simple things that offer us joy. So, here’s a kind suggestion from a lesson I learned today –

Every now and then, take some time off. Figure out a way to manage your time so that you can use it to the fullest, to run like Phoebe, to breathe deeply, and to discover and rediscover the many beautiful sides of YOU – the artistic YOU, the fun YOU, and the happy to be alive YOU.

Enjoy!

Flora El is a medical student who lives in the Republic of Macedonia. She loves to write, laugh, meet new friends and experience the great outdoors.

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