If we really want to get rid of suffering, completely and totally, then clinging has to go. The spiritual path is never one of achievement; it is always one of letting go. The more we let go, the more there is empty and open space for us to see reality. Because what we let go of is no longer there, there is the possibility of just moving without clinging to the results of the movement. As long as we cling to the results of what we do, as long as we cling to the results of what we think, we are bound, we are hemmed in. Meditating on No-Self: A Dhamma Talk (Edited for Bodhi Leaves), by Sister Khema(1994)








Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Positive or Negative?

Yesterday I rested.  Today I ran.  Just can't tell you if it was a good experience or not.  On the positives, any day you get a run in I think you should consider a good day.  Any day you get the mileage in that you wanted, in this case 15k, that is a positive.  Given that the weather was -15C with a windchill of -24C and I didn't fall or get frostbite, another positive.  I ran the big hill really strong today, a positive.  In some places the roads were really in good shape, a positive.

Many parts of the city are still uncleared which has created an ice/snow pack that is like running on rocks.  It has created serious pain on the outer point of my right foot and it feels like stone bruise on the inside ball of the same foot.  I have battled bilateral atypical neuroma of the metatarsus in the past but at this point running on these "rocks" makes it less than enjoyable.  A negative.  My schedule today was just horrible, I taught an 8:00 class and then did my management duties until about 1:00 p.m. then taught from 2 to 3:30 p.m., then walked the 2km back to my new flat and then went for a run.  Two trips to the Circus Mashrutaka stop gave me about 4.4km of walking in dress shoes for the day, plus the 15k run.  A negative, or is it a positive?

The run itself had stops and starts the whole time.  A lot of traffic today, a negative, several times I came to complete standstill just to navigate around some snow/mush or when traffic was doing something insane.  I saw two Ukrainian men argue in the middle of the street, one car pointed north, the other car pointed south, bumper to bumper, neither would move, about 50 cars behind each of them.  Didn't look like anyone was going anywhere.  Makes me glad I don't have personal transportation.

Running with the traffic continues to be beneficial when I get on the roads.  I'm trying to stay on the roads as it allows me to get some rhythm, but sometimes you have to run on this snow/ice (rocks) pack, a real downer.  Just can't say, positive or negative?  Did I run, yes, must be positive?
Posted by at 10:40 PM
Location: Dmytrivs'ka St, 45, Kiev, Kyiv city, Ukraine, 02000

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)