On Mindfulness

Today I got up at 6:45 despite an eyeball headache and lack of sleep. It's Monday - my morning to walk the dog.
As I walked along the trail with the sun just glazing the Coburg Hills,
I realized instead of taking this all in, I was busily planning my day – where to run, what to wear, shopping list add-ons, etc...



I glanced down at my dog. She was truly IN THE MOMEMT – sniffing the wind, head up, looking at the path.
In that moment, I came back.
It is not an easy task - for me anyways - to be in the moment.
I believe the term coined for this is mindfulness.
It grounds us in the present.
So during today’s run - I spent 20 minutes – unplugged, just listening to my breath, my heartbeat, the rhythm of my footsteps. Reconnecting with the pleasure of running.

Life is not a someday thing
or a one day thing.
It is a right now,
everyday thing.
Life is in the living,
every hour of every day.
- source unknown

Other Things We Can Learn from Dogs

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White Moment

No, not snow – just a white moment.

“Everything feels harmonious, unified, and effortless.” Goleman

Around the 2 mile mark everything seemed in sync - the path, the trees, even the wind.
A few feet in front of me there were two female runners. I began watching their feet. They were running fast and I was running right along with them. The movement of our feet synchronized. Just like elite runners in a marathon race… At that instant - I was in the flow. My flow or theirs, it didn’t matter. Running this fast was so easy.
Then just as miraculously, we broke apart – one drove ahead of me the other fell behind.

“When skills and challenge match, then flow is most likely to emerge.” - Goleman

Pre race chatter: “That Santa looks like a girl?”
Favorite bumper sticker: “My other car is an accordion.”

Jingle Bell Run 8 - 2008

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