I Would Like to Call It Beauty

Autumn has officially arrived in Bulgaria, and it has definitely made it's presence known. This morning, and also other mornings during the past month, I woke up to a nice chill in my apartment that made me want to throw the covers back over my head for another hour of sleep. Understand, during this time of year, the sun has stopped greeting me with it's warm, beautiful rays and in it's place is a delightful, brilliant streetlight. I'm not knocking the incandescent beams from the light bulb on the street, I'm just saying that it's not as welcoming as the sluntse (or sun in Bulgarian). I know dragging my comatose body out of bed at 6:30 a.m., without sunlight, to go run might not sound attractive, in actuality it is.

Autumn is my most favorite time of the year. I might sound like I'm complaining about getting out of bed early to run in frosty temperatures, but I look forward to it. I mean, it's not the kind of excitement you get as a child arising on Christmas morning, but it's above looking forward to taking the SAT or GRE that day. You see the pros drastically outweigh the cons to the point that there's no competition. Just the thought of running up the side of a mountain while basking in the hues of yellow and red from the trees is enough to make an insane man, well, sensible. Let's not mention that by the time I finally reach the summit of my run the sun usually decides to make an appearance, which results in amazing colors creating sensory overload for my lethargic brain. Usually at that moment I think to myself that I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world. As I write and think about this it becomes abundantly clear that this feeling of ultimate pleasure outweigh the physiological benefits of running. Don't get me wrong, I am truly happy that my heart muscle is getting a great workout and my legs are regaining their strength, but most importantly my psychological state is at peace. I guess you can say that running takes over my body and mind like a drug, and everyday I overdose.

Besides noticing the effects of autumn as I run, I can smell it in the air. Most Bulgarians by now have ignited their pechka (stove) or fireplace, so the scent of Bulgarian pine tickles my olfactory nerves as I go through the ebb and flow of my day. Honestly, I think after I have departed this country the one thing that will always bring my mind back to this place will be the smell of burning wood on a cold autumn or winter's night. Before coming to Bulgaria I didn't recognize the sensual effects of smoke, and it wasn't until a friend made note of it that I began to savor this scent, but now I welcome it each time I step out of the door (I must also add that the saw blade I've been hearing outside of my window for the past month marked the beginning of autumn too. It's just not as pleasurable to write about, even though I appreciate the work it's done in preparing the wood to burned.)

So, there you have it. The sights, sounds, and smells of Bulgaria in autumn. I'm trying my best to cherish them now while they last, because in no time the frigid temps of Old Man Winter will clot my pleasurable perception of all things lovely and blissful.

Quotes of the Day:

"The most important office in a democracy is the office of citizen." - Louis Brandeis (Registered American voters, please go out and vote on November 2nd)

"When the end comes for you let it find you conquering a new mountain not sliding down an old one." - Les Brown

Beats on Repeat:

John Legend's new album "Wake Up!"

"Jolene" - Ray LaMontagne

Peace, Love, and Understanding...