Goodbye Sept, a Harvest Full Moon, back on the roads and THRIVE

I'm basking in the bright warmth of the sun pouring into my big windows where my desk is placed, and I realize part of what I like about this spot is a pretty decent swath of sky to watch...skies are becoming something I feel increasingly drawn to, drawn into, and a great means of getting good stuff:  associations, inspirations, relaxation, revelations....  Nature does that for me as well, as a whole,  but I seem to develop individual relationships with aspects of Her,  like The Standing People and my love affairs with trees and wood,  becoming a wood sculptor in VA.  Maybe too because Michael flies gliders....a part of me actually up there....and 'seeing' the world from that perspective has been wonderful.

September was crazy wet and grey.  I heard we had all but 2 days of it the entire month.  I am mindful of how easy it is for SAD (seasonal affective disorder) symptoms to be triggered by the sheer lack of sunlight.   My continuing to stay here is in large part to be exposed to the sun.  I toughed it out,  got sick, got enlightened about some of my own, old issues as one does when sick...got clearer, better- got back to work.  My enthusiasm and energy are coming back and I am so looking forward to October!

Running was pretty minimal last week;  I did run a few times sick which may sound counter-intuitive, but they were nice and easy out and backs,  and nothing  like it to help the systems get circulating.  But today, I woke and saw the hint of this brilliant sun in the early morning and thought;  okay, let's go.
It's always fascinating to me to see how my body responds to the intervals between runs.  When I am down miles like now,  it felt very light-like as I began...all the muscles are nice and soft...I took the overpass and headed up 29th thinking "wow, so I didn't lose that much endurance"....and almost bought it until the 3rd mile got under my feet and I felt the deep fatigue that wanted to stop me dead in my tracks.  Much of the discipline of running is, for me,  working through that moment.  Because when I do it is practice for the same moment at work,  with family,  with myself when I need to muster the 'umph' to get to the next place in the process (wink, CeeCee).  The greater my endurance,  the more I can keep a steady gait along bigger distances,  the more I also tolerate and cope with the annoying and frustrating aspects of daily life.  

When I do this loop I have several 'outs' if I need them, cut down from the bigger loop to make it smaller.  I did my Publix/Griffin pit-stop and decided my zeal for revisiting my favorite landmarks overrode my concern for my condition, and headed out the usual way.  The fly down 35th, where I usually enjoy a full-out (well for me anyway) romp down the winding road was decidedly more reserved,  but no less enjoyable.  Ahhhh  Nature, sweet nature,  there is nothing I don't love about your colors, temperatures, forms, designs, fragrances, movement....You are full of infinite gifts and I feel like You offer them all up to me so freely just by traveling through.  If I gained one big insight this interesting week it was "APPRECIATE"....because it might seem pretty f-ed up most of the time,  but look around:  She's a pretty amazing place!!!  LOVE YOUR MOTHER TODAY.  Buy a plant,  plant a garden,  save the world.  We can.  And enjoy "Thrive" if,you also missed first go arounds and SHARE.  MUST SEE. 

Fall Equinox 9-22-12: Balance in Motion/Rest

The front which has parked itself around us for what seems a long time now continues to pour its prolific curtains of rain.  This morning, I awoke to that surreal feeling of being under water;  the skies full of low, dark roiling clouds exploding with close lightening.  Even now as I look out from my back windows, the sensation persists of being holed up in a kind of ark while the world seems to float on oceans and currents of moving change.

It was the run in the pouring rain early this week that started this near-cold I am still fighting:  today my body just said "no."   No run, no yoga....for once I took my time meandering out of bed and into the morning routine,  getting ready for my Saturday schedule and chores.  As all runners know,  wrestling with the tendency towards compulsiveness in our training comes with the territory.  In my case,  knocking off a few days from running can begin the internal questioning of every aspect of my self-care.  Today,  in my efforts to reframe I simply acknowledged that now was not the time to push it, demand it or otherwise strong-arm myself.   The day,  as rainy and dark as it can be,  has called me to rest, rest and regroup my inner energies to heal myself.

I can almost sense the exquisite still-point upon which the earth seems to tip, as the cycle of the year begins to build momentum into the last quarter of 2012.  This 'breathing space' is a welcome relief!  The pressures from so much constant change, and our efforts to keep our feet under us as we move along can deplete our reserves, make us doubt our resources,  play into our fears and anxieties and cause much disruption in our personal connections. 

While balance is manifest, even as a portal of Now that can resonate with us long after Equinox is past,  we can reinforce the experience of larger forces interlocking into vast patterns that underpin even the most minute movements of all life.   It is ego which fears, labels, hides, denies.  Heart, spirit and the open windows of the Right Mind will take you up into the Great Matrix of your expanded Self where a place is set for you to both witness and experience the Wheel of Life.   Mother Gaia gives freely both the balance points and rush of movement, woven together in the oscillation of our evolution.   We think we have stopped, lost ground, lost something,  lost our way.   But if we rise even a little above our earthly point of view,  the Vast Cosmos will join with you and open your eyes, heart and mind.  Find your Balance Point today and remind yourself;  you are a Star in Motion...you are the Eyes of Mother Gaia.  See the "rightness" of Your own becoming. 

Back to the Beach Run 9-16-12

I wasn't sure what the weather had in store this morning, we've been stuck under a stubborn ribbon of on and off rains; I miss the full on sun since returning from DC this week.  When I poked my head out, a surprising and gorgeous dawn light show was beaming from the east.  Then and there I decided to gear up for the beach and check out the skies, the ocean today.

I am so practiced at this, I can drop out of bed and on the road within 20 minutes.  One secret is I always have a set of running clothes out so I don't fish;  and the rest of the gear is stowed in predictable niches near the door- I wanted to have my water belt, and extra plastic cover for my phone.  Other than that,  a quick protein smoothie, laced up the Sauconys- out I go!

This is my first pair of Sauconys- thanks sales guy at the Davie running store who heard me when I said "stay light, more cushioning."  When I tried these at the store I liked their wrap-around my foot feel and enough support...so today's run was a real test- the beach and back is a solid 8-10 miler depending on my route.   Usually by halfway home, my feet and legs will be very tired and sore.  Today,  I vaulted up the overpass, a little slower, a bit stiffer than former years....but settled into a nice, easy rhythm, the shoes soaking up the compression, finding my footing while I kept trying to adjust the ongoing rambling jam on my right side, now settled around my knee.   The proof of good shoes?  That pain eventually disappeared, telling me the the shoes were helping realign my gait.

The sidewalks are complete now on the north side of Sheridan....I love the sulfur smell of the mangroves,  the wide waters of the intercoastal,  the big southern skies full of movement and color.  Coming up onto North Park, the view out the ocean did not disappoint;  I shared my photog experience with another photographer eager to catch the unusual light and shimmers.  The art of Mother Nature is in Her ability to lock onto the viewer's focus, and deliver the quintessential design;  not just as 'beautiful view' but as a living, breathing panorama we stand in the midst of,  ourselves the lens and revealer of Her perfection.

I hunkered down and headed home with all that big air filling my lungs, making me feel a buoyancy like the misty atmosphere floating somewhere just above where my feet fell slap-slapping the sidewalks,  keeping time with the tunes...traveling down the mental roads the broad landscape and music inspired....If you have no similar outlet, then I urge you to find your way to a private appreciation of your natural surroundings;  there is more healing to be had in Nature than any human has invented.  And She's free.