I'm back running...

Not a very nice sight, is it. Still, mustn't moan, as this photo of my bloodied knee is evidence that I am up and running again. I know that sounds a bit strange but it does follow that if I'm out there running, I will fall or trip somewhere along my path; not every time though, lets make that clear. Falling or tripping is quite a past time of mine; sticks, stones, discarded plastic parcel bands, roots and tree stumps have all brought me down to earth with a thump at some time or other. If I'm not falling down, I'm banging my head on things like low branches or hanging flower baskets; a whole trio of hanging baskets in one instance! I must have found that particular experience inspiring, as I ended up writing a poem about the ridiculous ending. The poem was called 'Power to the Flowers' and told the tale of my run to flower basket Nirvana. The poem then but please remember that I ain't no poet; at least not technically speaking.

Power To The Flowers

and other things found along the path

A short tale of summer running

in the English countryside with shorts on

What bliss to run along English country lanes

and tracks in the evening sun and have your legs

whipped by the friendly bramble

What bliss to run through waist high stinging nettles

with your mates all shouting, ooh, ah, and ow!

What bliss to miss your footing in a grassy

rutted field and hover, albeit momentarily,

above a freshly laid cowpat

What bliss to miss the dog poo that flicks

off the shoe of the runner in front

What bliss to swallow suicidal flies by the dozen

that's the ones who haven't met your sweating baldness

head on and avoiding your wrap around sun glasses,

fly straight in your eye

What bliss to reach the home straight and run full tilt

into a triangular trio hanging baskets, that someone

thoughtfully placed at head height over a public highway

What bliss to see my wife shed tears of laughter

at my ridiculous entanglement in amongst the

swaying basket of flowers

What bliss to see my running mates

double over with laughter at my expense

What bliss to see passing motorists peer

through their windscreens and catching what's happened,

join in with the insanity of the situation

What bliss to have my sore scalp bathed by a friendly female

and to have petroleum jelly slapped on my head by a mate;

to stop the bleeding, he says

Who says you can't get blood from a stone

What bliss to sit in the bar of the Royal British Legion

afterwards and with a throbbing head, sup warm ale

and hungrily devour fish & chips

What bliss to recount this tale to all that travel the path of the runner

So that's me poem then; a true tale of events on a summers evening run in deepest Surrey. What is interesting though, is the link between this blog and my earlier blogs on Your Body Speaks Your Mind, particularly as it appears that my body is still sending me messages that I'm obviously failing to act upon. Or am I just clumsy?

Starting again...

Is your life full of 'starting agains'? Mine is. I am currently starting to run again; not for the first time I might add. This starting again game appears in other areas of my life too; relationships and marriage for instance. My employment history has quite a few starting agains documented in it and my childhood and teenage years are not without their starting agains either. In fact, the start of my life started with that starting again scenario, adoption. Only just thought about that, hmm, I wonder if it is the root cause of my many other starting agains*. My guess is that any child that has experienced endings and beginnings (starting agains) in their early childhood will have a memory of that Primal Wound, which may then morph into a hidden life pattern that is repeated again and again until something outside of themselves, like running, opens the door to enlightenment and understanding. Paul Vorwerk, in his book Mystical Miles says that, 'running enables an uncovering of self, a discovery and exploration. Different types of running reveal different facets of the self - running in rain, heat, all night, hard or easy, fast or slow; many long solitary miles; others in the company of friends. Running helped me to find out what I could do, what I had in me'.

From the moment I took up running, some 20 years ago now, I too have been on a journey of self discovery and in so doing I have been made to acknowledge my physical and mental demons - a measure of laziness, poor self discipline, low pain threshold, poor diet control, poor body mechanics, low self esteem; all have been my life companions but through the act of running they have been put into their proper place; a place where their influence is at least minimized, if not all together extinguished. Because of running, I have also learnt the art of endurance and as I pushed the envelope so to speak, I found that I could increase my staying power and miles until one day I found myself running ultra races such as the 54 mile Thames Meander and the Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset 100K footrace without complaint. So, through running, I too discovered ‘what I could do, what I had in me’. Christine McDougall, on her Positive-Deviant.com website says, 'I suppose that we all must learn endurance at some stage in our life as humans. We will have to endure pain, suffering, waiting, seeking, wanting, not having... until we learn the ultimate lesson which is to let go'. Running then is so much more than, just running; it is a journey of discovery and healing, a way of getting in touch with our inner selves and putting things to right. Paul Vorwerk in looking at the connection between running and healing says in his book that, ‘the need for a deeper healing goes beyond symptoms of hurt and disease. It must deal with the essence of who we are. The healing must build resilience, adaptability, the ability to survive, to grow, to prosper. At one level, healing is about the wounds and injuries, which require a nurturing environment in which to repair. At another level, healing is about the soul, about the will to live, the reason we have to go on, to get better and to develop'. So, there we have it then. Who needs pills and potions when running can bring you freedom from pain and suffering, and at the same time reveal the essence of your very being.

* Starting agains: Joe Sol, in his book Adoption Healing, says that ‘adoptees may face many problems, particularly in developing relationships and in choosing a career. They have a hard time choosing an educational focus and committing to career plans, because they often are not in touch with their wants and desires’. From my own experience, this lack of focus, this difficulty with commitment impacts deeply on all areas of your life; to the point of turning you into one of life’s lost souls. In this place, you don’t know what path you are on let alone what path it is you are supposed to be seeking. It’s only when something, usually life changing, happens to you that you can finally get in touch with your wants and desires and perhaps then and only then will the continual cycle of stopping and starting again finally cease. Note: Wants and desires, in this context, should not be confused with the wants and desires associated with owning the objects found in the shop windows of this world.

Inside an MP's mind...

I see that Alan Duncan (Shadow Leader of the Commons) has allowed his true feelings to come out about how he feels about being an MP and how he thinks MP's have been treated over the expenses scandal; and boy does he think he's been badly treated! According to both the Guardian and the Daily Mail (Thursday, August 13, 2009), Mr Duncan feels that no 'capable' person would want to enter Parliament when MP's are treated like s****'. Certainly Mr Duncan is a 'capable' man, a man who according to the newspapers, is capable of stretching his expenses claims to £4,000.00 just for gardening costs alone. Can someone tell me please how these costs are in anyway connected to parliamentary business? Of course, Mr Duncan, who happens to be on the House of Commons Commission charged with cleaning up the MP's expenses system, was quick to apologise for his words which, 'were meant in jest'. Funny how we use phrases like 'in jest' to discount and lessen the impact of the words spoken in truth just a moment or two before. I've got news for Mr Duncan. Cover up doesn't work anymore; in fact anyone who uses phrases like 'in jest', in my opinion hoists there own petard and in so doing reveals their true self. In this case, a self that is stuffed full of its own importance and standing, a self that should not be in a position of power, influence and trust. Mr Duncan then, in making his remarks, represents all that is wrong with our parliamentary system today- arrogance, greed, a liking for self-importance and just plain dishonesty. Yes Mr Duncan, I do agree with you that no 'capable' people will want to enter parliament, especially when parliament is full of people like you.

If you want to hear Mr Duncan's words for yourself, then you could do no better than watch and listen to Heydon Prowse's film at:

http://www.dontpaniconline.com/magazine/power/the-political-animal

On meditation...

As meditation is a current topic, I thought I'd add that I am presently reading a book called Guide to Natural Healing, published (1997)* by Geddes & Grosset. The book cover says that this guide 'is an invaluable volume comprising some of the most fascinating spiritual and physical treatments of illness and injury of both East and West'. The guide is split into three parts; 1. Therapies For Body And Soul, 2. Treating The Inner Self and 3. Medicinal Plants And Natural Remedies. Under section two, there is quite a comprehensive list of meditation styles and techniques, including breathing meditations, some of which I'd never heard of before. Some of these are: Mindfulness of breathing meditation (a known Buddhist practice), Active meditation (associated with Sufi's), Sensory awareness meditation, Tai Chi Ch'uan, Attention to life meditation, Transcendental meditation (a past practice of mine) and of particular interest to me, Meditation on the run. According to the guide, meditation on the run is where 'many long-distance runners hit a point, usually about 3/4's of an hour into a run, when they experience what is commonly called a 'high'. This is remarkably similar to what happens during mantra or chanting meditation, with the rhythmic repetition of the word or phrase being replaced by the rhythm of the run. The runner's conscious mind shuts down, allowing other area's of consciousness to open up. So, if you enjoy a jog, use it not just to make the body fit, but to put your mind in better shape too. Don't try to compete with other runners in the park or against the clock to beat your own PB. If you do, you are shutting your mind to the possibility of meditation. Run easily, establishing a regular rhythm, and focus your attention on your breathing, your pulse and heartbeat, and after a while you will reach a point where you will be as perfectly in tune with the world as a Buddhist monk sitting hour after hour in contemplative meditation'. There you go then, all you have to do now is to get out there and 'Do it'.

Note: Can't say that I am in full agreement of what is being said here but perhaps that's because I have a slightly different slant or understanding of the meaning of meditation.

* Reprinted 1999, 2001, 2003

Meditation along the shoreline...

Currently, I'm staying, on my sail boat in Chichester Harbour and today I was supposed to have done a 45 minute off road run out along the Salterns Way towards Dell Quay, returning along the shoreline path to the marina where my boat is moored. What happened? My back went that's what happened and that only a few minutes into the run too! Bearing in mind that I am supposed to be in my post operative recovery phase, this sort of thing is not supposed to happen at all. Luckily for me, I was running with Gill, my wife, and it was she who, after initially helping me to deal with the pain, encouraged me to walk the rest of the planned route, rather than give up and return to the boat in grumpy defeat. I was so glad that I did this, as along the sun drenched shoreline path, I got into a sort of gentle walking rhythm that naturally morphed into a form of walking meditation, which then enabled me to disconnect with the discomfort of severely pulled back muscles and enjoy the world unfolding in front of me and all around me; a world of butterflies, bees, dappled shade and wonderful views of the meandering shoreline - ho hum. Life is good.

What is your inner self?

A Moonlike Person.
I completed the facebook 'What is your inner self? quiz today and apparently I am what the heading above says I am; a moonlike person. I don't know how real these things are but I answered the questions honestly and I have to say that the following description of my personality type is not far off the mark as I see it. So the description then...
'You are a moon type of person. You hide your emotions sometimes. You tend to be the quiet type or in contrast, you are happy but sometimes you act it out in order for you to be no burden your friends with your problems. You have faced some problems in your life. Your heart has been dealt blows before. You tend to think about things a lot more than other people and you may get annoyed with people who act out without thinking about what would happen later. You are also the type of person that others often come to you with their problems because you have been through plenty and you are very understanding. Though you sometimes feel lonely, your demeanor is usually chill, and relaxed. You usually are logical and rely a lot on facts and information before making any decisions. You often keep things to yourself. This is just one side of you and you have different faces in different situations and environments, just like the moon has phases.
Perhaps you should try this quiz too?