#19 Mindful Sunday, and a good run

Mindfulness is so important to me, but I sometimes lose it. Fortunately I found it again on Sunday. I began by leading a walking meditation in a beautiful park. The walk was sponsored by the church and the sangha, and we had eight participants. It was beautiful. The weather was perfect -- about 72 degrees and clear. There were birds singing, flowers blooming and wonderful scents in the air. After the walk, my son and I went to the church service and it was also very mindful. There was a guest speaker, Gloria Bates, and she quoted Thich Nhat Hanh in her sermon. In the early afternoon we had a planning meeting for a mindfulness retreat the sangha is planning in September, and that went very well also. Then the sangha went well. After that I went to a poetry reading at Borders, and I read a new poem I just wrote Saturday. It was very well received. People cam up after the reading and asked me for copies of it. I was glad that my poem touched so many people.

After that stormy run Friday, I neglected to run all weekend, but I just had a very good run this (Tuesday) morning, so I feel like I am back on track again.

Life is good.

#18 racing the storm

This afternoon I called my friend Alison and asked if she expected to have any time for a run this weekend. To my surprise, she said, "How about right now?" Well I was in my office wearing jeans and cowboy boots, so I had to ask her to wait an hour while I went home to change. We agreed to meet at Yarmouthport at 4:30. I got home and put on my running shorts and shoes and a T-shirt. Then I put on a black nylon pair of running pants -- the kind meant as an outer layer, -- and black nylon shell jacket. It was a bright sunny day, so I got on the bike and headed for Yarmouthport. I didn't have any extra time, so I got on the Mid-Cape Highway. When I got almost to the college exit, the skies opened up with a sudden thunderstorm. I was in the middle of heavy traffic all going 60 mph, so I had nothing to do but just keep going along smooth and steady. But the rain stung my chest, even through the jacket and T-shirt. And then it stopped again as suddenly as it started. I got to Yarmouthport and Alison was completely dry. I was soaked to the skin. But it was warm and sunny, so I just took off the nylon shell, and my shorts dried quickly. We ran down to the boardwalk at Gray's Beach and when we were out at the end of the boardwalk, guess what happened? It started to rain! So we both got wet, but it was very brief and the sun came out again while we were running back to the village. So I was dry again when I put my shell back on. It was a terrific run, and it was nice to see Alison again.


So I got back on the motorcycle and had a nice slow leisurely ride along Route 6A heading homeward in the sunshine. And then -- a couple of miles form home-- the sky got very, very dark and the wind picked up and the trees were all showing he undersides of their leaves. It was obvious we were in for another big one. I leaned way over to cut the wind and sped home and pulled into the driveway, opened the garage door and got the bike inside just as a huge clap of thunder exploded and the rain came pouring down.

I am dry, the bike is dry, I am safe and sound, and I had a very nice run. Pretty exciting, eh?

#17 What a run!

I know I have raved about runs before, but this one is definitely in the top 10.
I started out the way I always do. Left from the driveway to Pinkham Road for one block, then left on Mill for a mile and then right on Kiah's Way to the Lake. Just past the lake is a dirt road with a sign saying "YMCA Property No Public Access." Well I headed down that dirt road and it was so beautiful that I just couldn't stop. I ran and I ran and came to YMCA Camp Burgess, with cabins and a dining hall, but no people. Then I kept going and got out onto a paved road with no sign. Then I ran past YMCA Camp Haywood, which appears to have a separate set of buildings. All along these roads was nothing but beautiful woods and that lovely smell of pine needles. I kept seeing the lake off to my right. The sky and lake were both bright blue. The sun was shining brightly, but it wasn't too hot -- only about 65 to 70 degrees. I felt like I could run forever. Finally I saw that I was on Stowe Road, which sounded familiar, but I didn't really know where I was. Eventually I came to an intersection with Pinkham Road, and I knew that the other end of Pinkham Road is right beside my house! Yeah! I headed homeward on Pinkham Road, which was dirt at that point. After I had been running for 30 minutes I switched to a brisk walk for about 10 minutes, then I resumed running for another 10 minutes, which brought me back home again. So I was out for a total of 50 minutes, and it felt fantastic. I figure it was about five miles.

I think the best part is that I had always wanted to circle that lake, but I didn't think I could run that far. Now I know I can do it. Another great part is that the scenery is so beautiful, and it is right outside my door.

Life is good!