Thursday, October 17, 2013

The Zen of Running

There is something magical about an early morning run.  Whether it is under the moon and stars, or the first glints of sunlight, the quiet morning is quite cathartic.

Each stride brings my foot in contact with the ground.  Each time an opportunity to transfer energy to and receive energy from the earth. I am not running ON the earth, I am running with it, because of it.

This time is my moving meditation. My time to find peace, calm, happiness, and focus. My time to lose the pressures and worries of the outside world.  A time to look inward, to what really matters.  To remember why all of this started in the first place.  To have a sense of calmness, connectedness, peace, and freedom.  To remember my calling and reaffirm my willingness to live it.

Slowly the sun rises and people begin to stir. The once peaceful, quiet connection to nature begins to fade.  The hectic energy of those running in the proverbial hamster wheel of life is once again aiming to overtake the peace of those living in the moment. Like the background static of a radio station not quite in tune, the message is still there, but unable to be discerned.

Stop.  Find quiet.  Connect with nature. You will hear the message.  You will  find your calling and together we can make the world a better place.