a little bit of still

i'm painting late tonight.

in the midst of figuring out a technical problem, it donned on me that i should move my car closer to the building.

welcoming the reprieve, i grabbed my jacket and walked outside.
there, i was pleasantly surprised.

the night is much warmer than i'd predicted and though it's dark, it feels surprisingly friendly.

i got to my car and realized that i hadn't eaten dinner, so i drove to a near almost-healthy fast-ish food place.

costa vida it was. i was probably in there for fifteen minutes as a very kind worker helped me construct a very tasty salad. because of the hustle of the bowling alley next door as well as the buzz of the patrons, i'd forgotten about the night.

and so for the second time, i walked outside and felt like i walked into a brief vacuum of warm, welcoming silence.

brief, as in a few seconds.

but still, i was grateful for it.

after i drove back and parked (not as close as i'd previously intended), i decidedly jogged back to my building, though i was carrying my food. the wind had finally picked up, though it wasn't at all chilly. i reveled in this change of pace almost like a little kid, as i briskly crossed the short distance through the dark. the wind blew the leaves up around me and my footfalls felt light. i wished that i could run for real tonight, sans-food and sans-art project.

but all the same, i feel better and i think that the night breathed some life into me again.
at least, enough to make some awesome things happen tonight.