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a wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. the next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. the hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. she did so without hesitation. the traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. he knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. but a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman. “i’ve been thinking,” he said, “i know how valuable the stone is, but i give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone.” ~unknown
i didn’t think too much about my FIRST EVER 5 mile run this morning. just got up and left the motel.
i walked to the “ocean beach bike path”, turned on “mapmyrun” and started running. it was pretty dark, but i was running toward sunrise. the lagoon to my left, and to my right, the kumeyaay highway. i did not turn on my music, decided it was better to listen, partly because it was SO quiet. and it was dark and there was no one out anywhere. i didn’t even check my mileage until 1.5, and could feel that this was going to be a good run. knew i was going to make it to the half way point and not even need to walk. at the 2 mile point, there was a very large tree with lots of growth all around it. i could see tube socks attached to legs near the base of the tree standing very still. there are a lot of homeless here. i kept running. when i got to 2.5 i walked out for .10 and turned back for an equal .10, then turned on my music and ran. the tubesocked transient was mounting his immaculately distributed, widely loaded bicycle as i ran by. i had little conversations with myself about whether i could run back all 2.5 or would have to walk. told myself to wait and see. saw great blue herons strolling the lagoon below. cormorants flying overhead. the brush along the path side smelled like celery. a camped wanderer was just waking, smoking her cigarette. a rasta-looking guy smelled like marijuana and gave me a big smile and a nod in my final half mile. i felt really elated, so excited to share the news that i ran the whole 5 miles and it felt so great!
my scheduled half marathon training run this morning – 4 miles. your full marathon training run – 13 miles. i went to tempe lake and ran. i felt like a runner. feel like a runner. want to get better. want to be a great runner. inspired running is so easy.
slowed me down a bit on my run…especially toward the end. but running was good overall. i was inspired by your run to your gym and back, thought i would incorporate an errand. ran to the post office to mail alex’s agility class registration. was due for 3 miles. considered doing 2 instead, it is still over 100 degrees…but YOU would never do that…so i did 3.
there have been times when i’ve thought, “i could do that.” like the time i came across a blog of lists, which became a book of lists. and being an obsessive list-maker, i thought, “i could have done that!” or the daily coyote blog, which also was made into a book. not that i have ever raised a coyote from birth, but if i HAD and if i took photos of the coyote as it GREW, then that could have been my idea too! there have been plenty of other ideas not put into motion, most notably all the times i told myself i was going to help someone…who knows what could have been if i had acted on even half of my notions…
an idea inspired by bikram yoga back in early december 2010… i was HOOKED about bikram and KNEW i wanted to do a year of unlimited yoga, a package my studio calls “the magical year”. i wanted to sign up for it as soon as i returned from africa, in early january. i was going to have a magical year and do frivolous things like travel, raise chickens, practice bikram yoga, be enlightened and write about it. but then the end of december came and i shelved the idea, because there was going to be nothing magical about 2011.
but i think that somehow i have to still write my way through this year, even though the story is different than i originally planned…otherwise it is another in a long list of things i thought, “i could do that” not realized….
arriving isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. and yet, we always want to get where we’re going. but there is so much energy, so much power in all those journey end anticipations. that’s how you know how much you want something, the way you feel during those days of expectation. to be content with the in-between times and fully feel impatient, hopeful, keen, and eager, is to fully experience those journey ends. after all, once you arrive, it’s done. journey over.
tonight i signed up for my first ever HALF MARATHON, the indianapolis monumental, which happens in november, and you will run the FULL.
i am SUPER MOTIVATED!
the last 7 months have made me want to be kinder…
don’t want to feel like there are limits to what i am capable of doing, if i set my mind to something. always wanting to see things in terms of possibilities. i see things you need help with. i see how i can help. anything less than that feels like an excuse.
i am hoping to have the determination to run in the morning. i want to wake early. i think you mentioned going to the gym. make a plan. set yourself up for success. make up your mind. the most profound things happen in life when you change the way you think. practice your way there. cultivate your thoughts carefully. try harder when you feel like giving up. have patience when you struggle. i want to see you succeed so much.
okay, here’s something i really like. i found this card a long time ago. i used to read this everyday, and i know it helped transform me –
promise yourself-
to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
to talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.
to make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
to look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
to think only of the best, to work only for the best, and expect only the best.
to be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
to forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
to wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
to give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
to be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
themagicalyear 