Our Best Selves

“I’ve been lately thinking about my life’s time”; from John Denver’s Poems Prayers and Promises is one of, if not my favorite line from a song. It seems I’ve been doing a lot of that lately and today even more so as I’m supposed to be writing a few words for a youth black belt graduation.

Much has happened, in these past weeks, in my life and at my school. Which is probably why I’ve been erratic with my posts. Personally I’ve been preparing for a half marathon, and traveling west to visit family and to attend my nephew’s wedding. There’s also been a lot at the school; belt testing, including youth black belt, preparing the school for my absence, and the usual day-to-day activities of a martial art school. However the greatest impact has been the loss of too many people I’ve known either personally or through my school.

I realize that we are closing in on the end of a decade and typically these are transitional periods. Which makes me reflect deeper, not just about the lives we’ve lost, but what am I supposed to be learning? Is it just to appreciate more (stop and smell the roses) or does it go deeper? Am I supposed to be contributing more? Leading an exemplary life?

I take teaching others seriously–Martial arts instruction is more than physical. I’m hoping to relay that tonight in my words to the people attending the graduation, but more than that, I need to help people to realize that the most important thing we can do or teach is to be our best selves…

“The days they pass so quickly now.” Hopefully we can find the time to talk of “Poems, Prayers and Promises” OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA For my old classmate Tricia, for the EBMA parent Michael, and for my friend Ron, til we meet again.

Run on,

Gin

Now is All We Have…

These past weeks have been fraught with long hours at work, and endless bad news…

My choices were curl into a fetal position and ignore it all, complain to anyone and everyone, or run for my sanity. I chose run.

Today with weary legs and a heavy heart I headed out for my ten-mile training run. I found out yesterday that a nursing school classmate had passed. Sixty-one isn’t old. Yet age doesn’t make a difference with death, it comes when it chooses not when we choose.

There has been so much illness among my friends, and associates lately — It is so disheartening. I understand it is all part of life and as we age it becomes more evident, it doesn’t mean it becomes less hard or scary it just is…

It is very easy at times like these to focus on all the scary the future holds or the seemingly better days of the past, but what is and always will be is now. That is what we need to focus on — It’s all we got.

This thought led me to recall one of my favorite Zen stories; There once was a monk who while walking happened upon a ferocious tiger. The monk backed away from the tiger to the edge of a cliff, where he noticed a vine the monk grabbed the vine holding on for dear life. When he noticed two mice were gnawing the vine. The monk had nowhere to go. He looked around and saw a beautiful strawberry. With one hand he picked the berry and ate it, “What a delicious berry,” Proclaimed the monk.

You see the tiger represents the past the monk clinging to the vine represents now and the fall into the chasm represents the future or death. My advice is to enjoy the now. Pick that strawberry and taste it with all your senses. Because no-one knows how long it will take the mice to chew through your vine…

Run on,

Gin

Turning Corners, and sharing thoughts…

I often place unneeded pressure on myself; For instance the essence of this blog is “thoughts from the run”, but what if I don’t want to share those thoughts? See what I mean? I’ve sort of promised more than I’m sometimes willing to keep… In my defense when I first started running seriously every run was filled with some sort of amazing revelation (at least to me). Whether it was about my journey, what I was experiencing or just how I was feeling. Now that I’ve been running (slogging) fairly seriously for a year, I’m finding my thoughts are more mine and for me only.Emotions or issues I’m dealing with and finding clarity from the run.

Turning 60 last year was amazing one of my best years ever, I was able to travel and experience new adventures, met new friends and reached new goals. I was running with rose colored glasses. That was until the end of last October when I found out a friend of mine was experiencing a serious health threat. That shook me hard! Many of my runs following that news consisted of Why, Why has this happened? Why this person? Why am I so lucky?

I thought about some of my Facebook posts and past blogs where I preached my training beliefs trying to inspire others but wondering if I was coming off as a bragger, or a know it all. Was I excited to share my new found passion for running or was I preaching?

These thoughts still occupy much of my runs, as do the worries about my parents aging, my neighbor’s health, my business’s future (my future ), but here is a thought that came to me today as I was running my neighbor hood route. The first mile is an incline and it can be a challenge somedays but then I turn a corner and the terrain levels out, another corner and it’s downhill all the way home…

I thought that profound (at least I think so) observation was worth sharing; There are always going to be hills to climb but if we continue to keep moving forward one step at a time there will be corners to turn and an easy run home…

Keep moving forward…

Life Odometer @60

Remember when the odometer on a car just flipped instead of flash?

If you do then your life odometer is close to mine…

I remember my first car when I’d try to recall each major odometer milestone 1000 miles happened on President Avenue Fall River, and so on…

Now that my life’s odometer hit 60 years I’m suddenly more aware of personal milestones; where I’ve been, where I am and yes, where I’m going…

Life’s journey is not so much different than a road trip; the past is in the rearview, the present is behind the wheel, and the future is on the GPS…

I’m trying to be very aware of where I am and how I got here so I can plan my next turn. I’ve been inspired by my young students who’ve graduated to black belt. One of whom gave me a bracelet with “It’s not a sprint, It’s a marathon” on it. An awesome reminder that I’m in it for the long haul. I’ve also have been rejuvenated in my running through reading Runners World the amazing stories of runners in their 70’s running ultras and the many other runners who’ve over come challenges. This has motivated me to take on a half marathon. Which ironically will be right about when my odometer will hit 60.5…

Good to be back!

Gin

The Edge of Periphery

Thrill seekers enjoy living on the edge; The excitement of danger and the potential for harm. A seemingly insane way to go about life to those of us who prefer to live within the presumed norms. However I believe there’s an even more dangerous way to live and that’s on the “Edge of Periphery” those who live via their television, computer, tablet and smart phone screens. Reading posts and tweets of celebrities, friends or getting lost in You Tube, videos gaming or Television programs – Never really experiencing what they’re viewing.

Technology has brought the world to our finger tips and has given us many opportunities to view it but life is about living in the world. A world that doesn’t have pixels or HD.

Don’t get too close to either edge, one you may fall far the other you get sucked into, given the choice I think I’d prefer falling…

Do your self a favor get into the world today and untangle yourself from the web…

To Life!

2013 Marathon

This blog often uses running as a metaphor for life – Such is the case for this entry.

Races have distances; 5k, 10k 10miler, 1/2 marathons and marathons. Time has measurements too; seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years. So it sort of makes sense (to me) to compare a year (2013) to a marathon.

Distance running is about endurance, struggling through the first mile, trying to establish a rhythm the ebb and flow of endorphins and pain. Getting through a year is about day to day struggles, establishing routines, living through the good times and struggling through the difficult times.

Running teaches us commitment, focus, how to deal with pain, and how to revel in the small victories as well as the big wins, but mostly it teaches us about Life…

Here’s wishing everyone a good RUN in the 2014 Marathon…

No Worries, When You’re Looking Forward

Had one of those “AHA” Moments today while running; It occurred to me when I’m in a positive state of anticipation, like preparing for the holidays, going to an event, planning for a vacation or giving myself a reward. I’m in a great state of mind: The same state of mind I’m in when I’m running, where my focus is on a positive outcome or result, my feelings are Joyful!

On the other hand when my thoughts are on worries (nothing I can control); which are anticipated pain or hardship, that rarely manifest as we imagined. You’re not really looking forward when your worried, you’re stuck in an alternate reality created by fear. You may even be stuck in the past but you’re not going forward you’re paralyzed.

With this AHA I’ve decided there is no longer room for worry in my life I’m going to schedule things in my life to look forward to, like running!