Dedication

Running takes dedication and at the same time a sense of abandon - a willingness to leave virtually everything behind and give ourselves to the singular sensation of motion. Of course these is a complicated and intimate communication of feedback going on between our minds and bodies. We don't want to dismiss the message of pain due to injury. We want to be an observer - to allow the feedback to flow unimpeded through our minds until there is a reason to respond. That's the trick to meditation - it's not to cease thinking altogether but to observe the thoughts flow through the mind without taking "ownership" of them. It's also a key point to peace of  mind - we simply don't have to believe everything we think just because we think it - let it go, let it go. Thoughts flow by and still we give ourselves to motion, to the ground and awareness to our surroundings without the need to "take issue" with whatever comes our way. A rock, a stick, a curb are all part of our run, all part of our awareness and we run with the faith that this magical flow of motion we are tapping into will handle each encounter with an innate wisdom bred countless miles inherited through the genes of those who ran before. We are born for this.
Dedication is getting out the door.
The rest is who we are.
Runners.

Prayers

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy let me send prayers to all who were touched by this storm. There will be grace in the rebuilding as communities, neighbors and strangers come together to renew their homes and regain what was lost. It won't be easy and grief will be always near -yet this is where that grace is found - in the steps towards a brand new day.

God Bless,
Eric

Books

I've been thinking about the books I've read early in my life that have had a profound and lasting affect. I'm sure we all have read a few - or more then a few. Here are some of mine:
Huckleberry Finn - Leaving town life for high adventure on the Mississippi River. My mother gave me her copy, the one she received as a Christmas present from her parents in 1936. I still own and cherish this copy and the love for this book still lives in my heart thanks to my mother. As a matter of fact my love of books is due to both my parents and their early encouragement.
Which brings me to my next (3) books -
Betty Zane, Spirit Of The Border, The Last Of The Plainsmen (The Borders Series) - when my dad got tired of seeing me re-reading Huckleberry Finn for the who knows how many times he gave me a copy of his childhood favorite - Betty Zane. A true (for the most part) tale of early frontier adventure during the border war of the American Revolution. Zane Grey wrote three books in this series and they remain favorites. These first two (and more to follow) really fueled my early love for the outdoors and the adventure it offered. After Zane Grey I later moved on to reading (and re-reading) every Louis L'Amour paperback I could get my hands on to - sometimes reading two or three at a time. I still return to these books as "easy reading" pleasures for flights or anything that may involve a long wait. The adventures still ring true.
A note on Zane Grey - he seemed to be a family passion as I have books that belonged to my father as a child and great uncles on both sides of the family. All loved the outdoors.
I no longer remember the title but I read a biography of Dan Beard - founder of the American version of the Boy Scouts that really helped grow my love of camping. Along the same lines I read a biography of Samuel Colt (Sam Cold And His Gun?) that sparked an interest in science and experiments that got me in a little trouble - especially my homemade gunpowder testing. Adventure stories (Frontiersmen, Mountain Men, Cowboys, Indians) and biography of scientist all were part of my pre-teen reading. I lived for weekly trips to the library and then getting out to relive these adventures on my own.
In middle school I read Roots, Centennial, Rich Man Poor Man, The Holocaust and my first Stephen King Novel (Salem's Lot) and have re-read all in later years with equal enjoyment. It amazes the lasting impact a great story can have. That's just a few - I'll share more ad feel free to share your own list!

Eric

Objective

The goal is to write. The purpose is to express. The hope is to create. And that's the singular objective of this blog. To educate, inform, and entertain are all possible outcomes. They cannot be counted on though. All I can count on is that I will sit in front of my computer and I will face an empty screen. In 5 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour....there will be words there. I will be pleased. Not from what I wrote (although I may indeed like it) but that I have written. Everything else is a bonus.

Peace,
Eric

100 Miler Back In The Plans

The 100 mile ultra goal is back on. After the not getting into Umstead for the second year in a row it was hard to get excited about the possibility of a different 100. The closes I got was thinking about Laurel Highlands 70 - which runs like a 100. I still hope to run that in June but I new ultra, very close to home will off me my best shot of 100 this upcoming April. I'll take an easy 1-2 weeks after Stone Mill 50 (November 17th) and start gearing up for the 100. I'm excited (again!)
Stay tuned,

Eric

Simplicity

Simplicity. More and more it seems to me that this one word holds the key to a happier, more meaningful life. Simplicity in diet, exercise, lifestyle and needs - to want less and own little. There is much that we may desire but actual little that we truly need and perhaps a clear distinction between the two would cause a world of difference in not just how we live our lives but how long we live our lives. Author Dan Buettner discusses this in his book Blue Zones and it's a fascinating read. Of course simplicity doesn't necessary mean swearing off all luxuries of life. Or even most luxuries. It means paring down to the essentials and then living a life where meaning takes precedence over possessions. It means happiness, true happiness is our priority. Simplicity is the doorway to spirituality. Every major religion teaches though and none perhaps so eloquently and succinctly as the Tao Te Jing. The Tao itself is the way to simplicity. The Tao is simplicity.
So in our busy lives where the vast majority may not wish to give up their possessions and flee to the forest to live a life of austerity - is there a means to a simplified life?  I think so. I hope to find to find it.

Peace,
Eric

Endure

                                                

The Buddha praised endurance as a virtue. St. Paul told us that love endures all things. Since the dawn of time the ability to endure has brought us not only survival but civilization itself. Physical endurance provided food and safety - to hunt and gather food and flee our enemies. Emotional endurance allowed (and allows) us to love again after tragedy, to bounce back from loss and thrive once more. Endurance is king. And long may we endure.

Peace,
Eric

Hollowed Reed

And I am
As a hollowed reed
Swayed by life's most passionate
Winds - emptiness mourned
As solitary sound.


And yet I am
As a hollowed reed
Played holy by the whispered
Breath of God - a singular instrument
Within a symphony of sound.

I am
A
Hollowed
Reed.

 

 

~

In our truest self - there is no self but God. And only filled in temporary pleasures fleeting in their brush - we seek to leave this

world behind.

Until once more the self alone

exist

Love Endures All Things

Even as a child I loved the message from St. Paul's First Letter To The Corinthians. It spoke to me in a way that I am just now beginning to understand. Or perhaps I understood it more clearly as a child and its message was a whisper of truth that went beyond understanding. Sometimes children know things that we forget as adults. Sometimes love is one of those things. St Paul delivers no less then a divine formula for relationships - both spiritual and earthly. In the end they are equal and the same for without spirit there is no real love. St Paul makes that very clear. Here is his message -

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels,
but have not love,
I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers,
and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains,
but have not love,
I am nothing. If I give away all I have,
and if I deliver my body to be burned,
but have not love,
I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind;
love is not jealous or boastful;
it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way;
it is not irritable or resentful;
it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things,
endures all things. Love never ends;
as for prophecies, they will pass away;
as for tongues, they will cease;
as for knowledge, it will pass away. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect;
but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. When I was a child,
I spoke like a child,
I thought like a child,
I reasoned like a child;
when I became a man,
I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly,
but then face to face.
Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully,
even as I have been fully understood. So faith,
hope,
love
abide, these three;
but the greatest of these
is love.

~
Love endures all things. Beautiful and the one and only message of this whole blog. When we run with love - we endure.

Peace,
Eric

Faith In The Storm

Saint Francis urges in his famous prayer - "where there is hatred let me sow love". Wise words and I'm sure that if most of us witnessed an hateful act we would speak against it and condemn the action.We so often look outwards at the hateful acts shown by the media - war, crime, and abuse of all kinds - that we fail to see where hate is born - within. Within us all. Yesterday I was shocked to experience a flash of what I can only describe as pure hatred for someone, someone who I love and have had a relationship with. None the less in this one terrible moment I felt pure hatred for this person. My first experience of this and it was poison. The effects lingered and left me drained and angry with myself and the person. Of course we all posses the seeds of hate and of love - Buddhist say it is the seed that it most nurtured that becomes our nature. I can see what hatred would be nurtured - the ego urges justification for our resentments and forces us to look outward to the grievous harm that was dealt our way. It's powerful to feel wronged and to allow our anger to boil over into a rage. It's also harmful. The Buddha said that we are not punished for our anger but that anger itself is the punishment. The ill effects take a toll physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. We are left weaker. This is why Saint Francis says where there is hatred, wherever there is hatred, we must sow the seeds of love. And this begins the only place hatred exist - within. In the very depth of hatred there still lies a seed of love. Cultivate it. Slowly, tenderly yet surely. It will bloom even in a winters rage. It's the faith of even the tiniest seed.

Peace,
Eric

Detachment and Simplicity

It's time (for me) to contemplate a return to simplicity. Not by outer means or by eliminating objects (or people) from my life but through detachment. Detachment is often confused with emotional distance but that is far from being true. Real detachment allows one to truly and love and care without being burdened by the consequences of their actions - that being good or bad. A detached person acts from love and his/her own higher awareness and allows others the freedom to respond in the manner they are capable of within the given moment. It's possible. Yet not easy. Detachment is cultivated and a state to which one has to return to over and over again until the path of the heart is clear as the only path that allows true freedom. When we are caught up in our own reactions towards events, circumstances or people then we are victims of our own mindset. We don't choose - we react. Our goal should be to be responsive. A responsive allows for interior space and wise, loving action. A reaction is reflective of our lowest needs.
It's easy to sidestep this path, to allow our steps to take us elsewhere in a realm of reactionary behavior. It's also easy to step back on. The key is to remember the peace and freedom this path will offer. I'm watching my steps...and choosing wisely.

Peace,
Eric

Weight

When of the best things I have ever done was to take up ultra running in my 40's - it gave me new goals and challenges, a chance to spend hours outdoors exploring trails and new routes. It also changed my body and mind set away from a bodybuilding and lifting mentality of more is better. I still love lifting and always will - it's an important part of any athletic pursuit and is integral for maintaining muscle mass and strength as we age. Yet more isn't always better (OK still a little tough for me as I try to pound out more miles in faster times) More protein for more weights and more reps will lead to health trouble down the road. My father is there now with kidney damage from excess protein. It's not worth it for another inch on the arm or pound on the bench press. I've been there - a 220lbs powerlifter, a 190lb bodybuilder to a 170lb Olympic lifter - I have run the weight and weight gauntlet. And I enjoyed it all and who knows - maybe I will again. Of course in a healthier way then before. Right now my weight is in the 140lbs and I feel great - yes strength is down but I am a strong runner instead of a lifter who runs. Optimally I would like to get my strength back to a level of at least 2-3 years ago and I'm taking steps to get there. Meanwhile my running is strong and I'm meeting and exceeding my goals. There's not too much more one could ask for.

Peace,
Eric

Update - Health, Diet And Fitness

My cold is virtually gone - lasted about three days. Just long enough to visit for race day and linger a day or two later! It was my first real cold in several years, I've had slight colds or days when I seem to almost have a cold but it never fully materialized. I think this last one was the result of high training mileage, race day and personal stress and allowing a few less than optimal vegan meals onto the menu. Oh and races and expos are a great way to catch something -especially if your defences are down. Still it only lasted three days and I don't think it affected my race day performance by that much. Hope to build up my defence again with green juice, a cleaner diet and a little more sleep. Can't really take a rest day with Stone Mill 50 fast approaching. I'm planning on a fairly easy December though with just a half marathon on the schedule. 2013 is going to be a big year though. OK-  just an update on health, diet and fitness for all who care and those who stumbled on this by accident and for some reason kept reading.

Thanks!

Eric

Green Juice

I'm adding green juice into the diet mix. I do green smoothies fairly often as a meal and a great way to get a green salad in for the day - especially when I'm busy. But green juice is a more concentrated shot and provides the nutrients of greens and whatever vegetables (carrots, broccoli, cucumbers) I care to throw in without the fiber weighing me down. Fiber is essential and through my fruit smoothie meals, fruit consumed and regular salad and starches I consume I'm OK in that regard. I get plenty of fiber. The green juice is just health insurance, a bit more minerals, chlorophyll and other great stuff. I fell a way from juicing in favor of smoothies and regular salads but hope to keep in play for now. Stay tuned for juicing info and recipes.

Peace,
Eric

Debates

Of course debates can and do play am important role in political contest - it's a rich opportunity to view contrasting ideals and differing takes on the current issues. Yet style should never trump substance but since the dawn of modern media it seems it often has. Legend has it that Kennedy one his debate with Nixon solely do to his television appeal. Those who has listened to the debate on the radio held firmly the opinion that Nixon won. Interesting. I watch debates now and seldom catch a glimpse of substance from candidates from either party - just talking points and slogans with little real passion. And there's a reason for this - passion reveals a depth to a person, it's the "why" that lies behind beliefs. So many people seem to hold a belief simply because they're Democrat or Republican and that's the party line. I'm more interested in that unscripted moment where passion reveals itself and a candidate (or any person) is willing to step across a partisan line. John McCain showed real courage when he refused to throw his hat into the "Obama is a Muslim" ring. I admired that and look for such moments in the future - from my presidential candidates, my friends and myself. I believe we are all capable of embracing self evident truths that are greater than party lines and personal opinions when we see them. I hope I am.

Peace,
Eric

Hoʻoponopono

Hoʻoponopono is an ancient cleansing technique from the Hawaiian spiritual tradition of Huna. I first became familiar with it through Joe Vitale's book Zero Limits. It's a means of spiritual conference with our highest selves - the One Self - that is the connection for us all. In this means no other participation is needed as we are all in communication at the silent, spiritual level, The four key main phrases are - I Love You, Please Forgive Me, I'm Sorry and Thank you. Again as this is silent communication we are apologizing to no one - we are simply accepting responsibility for the conditions that we witness. If we are aware of a situation or condition - we are part of it and responsible for it. But silently repeating these phrases we "cleanse" the issue, forgive it and return our world to "Zero" the state of original innocence. I have used Hoʻoponopono to bring comfort to my life and to help heal relationships. It's a wonderful, healing technique. Joe Vitale's book is a wonderful introduction and is well worth reading. There is a lot of material on the Web as well. If there are situations that feel beyond your control - try this. Have an open heart and a little faith.

Peace,
Eric

Race Performance

I'm pretty happy with my performance at the Baltimore Running Festival. My time of 4:03 is nowhere near fast but the effort to get there was relative easy. I ran my game plan, turned in a negative split, watched carefully my fuel and hydration and finished fresh and strong. Six miles on the trail the next day revealed some tight and tender calves that have lingered through today but that seems to be the only effect - I should be hitting the track for mile repeats tomorrow morning. Training continues hard for Stone Mill 50. I'm running strong, happy and joyful and I really can't ask for more than that.

Thanks for reading!

Eric

Bowling With Spirit

I was thinking of the blogs title today - Running With Spirit - and it occurred to me that it could just as easily be titled Bowling With Spirit (if I bowled) or Knitting With Spirit (if I knitted). Anything we do that brings us joy, enhances our inner world is of and with spirit. In Kabbalah they say that the aim of life is to bring the Infinite world (99% world) into the finite world (1% world) - running, poetry, meditating all do that for me. Being a vegan does that for me - knowing that I am doing by part to bring cruelty to an end - yes, that works for me too. What works for you? That's what counts. And if you don't know - find it. There surely is something and that's my wish for you - to find it, know it and share the joy you gain from it.

Peace,
Eric

Baltimore Running Festival - Marathon - Race Review 2012

Beautiful day to run! Perfect racing weather - cool in the morning and never really getting to warm through the day. It may have reached 60. This years Baltimore Marathon had a thousand extra runners (I heard) and it was definitely a crowded course. The merging of the half-marathon runners with the full marathon runners would create some congestion later in the race as well.With a crowd this large one might think there would all sorts of technical issues and crowd trouble and other problems - very little actually. Corrigan Sports is a top notch organization and the volunteers  - from the police to the water stops were all outstanding. Thanks guys!
I ran according to plan - easy start and picked it up at the end. I hadn't really planned on "racing" it but I was eager to see what I could do by running as loose and easy as possible, feel good throughout and then maybe kick it in for the finish. And that's what I did. I began with a pretty easy 9:15 to 9:20 - every once in awhile a little slower and kept it there through mile 16 when I began to add just a little speed. By mile 22 I figured it was time to kick it in and dropped to 8:20 with an 8:40 or so on the hills. My last mile was a 7:50 and I was happy with that. The one major issue I had was/is a cold. I think my nose ran faster then I did. Other than that...oh...and the bottlenecking (part of the race) it was an issue free race. I went through four (vegan) gels and 2 banana halves (or one banana some may say) and alternated water with Gatorade - which I dislike but wanted the calories. There was no wall in sight today. I should be good for 10 on the trails tomorrow.
A special mention to Daniel Kessler who ran a few miles with me who set a PR by 91 minutes and Moca who also PRd by 5 minutes after having no more then a 6 mile long run for the last two months due to a calf strain. Very impressive!
I'll be back next year - if you're in the area come on out and run!

Oh, I ran a 4:03. If I had paid more attention to detail and less on my runny nose I would have kicked it in at 20 to slip past 4. Next year.
Stone Mill 50 is next!

Peace,
Eric

Race Day Cold?

Tomorrow is race day and it seems I have my first cold in several years. I honestly don't feel it will affect my performance once I start moving but it's a nuisance none the less. I think I've slipped a little in my diet - too many easy meals and not sticking to the basics. That and some added stress to my life. I'm hoping I can shake it off for tomorrow or at least out run it for a bit. And then it's back to a simpler fare in my diet to get my immune system firing on all cylinders again. Stay tuned for race review!

Peace,
Eric

Where's The Love?

I find it ridiculous to have someone tell me how much they love animals for what they provide for them. No that's not love - you may appreciate and be self absorbed in what you take from the animal but no where do I see a genuine act of selfless giving. Don't lie to me, don't lie to yourself and don't lie to the animal - be honest - "I'm taking your flesh, your hide, your life. If you're lucky your suffering will only last weeks, perhaps month. I don't genuinely need what you're not really offering - but I want it." There's the honesty. But where's the love?

Peace,
Eric

Three Days Till Race Day

I'm days away from the Baltimore City Marathon and have two goals in mind - run faster then last year and have fun. There's a razor edge between the two and running this edge is what's required for a successful AND fun marathon. If I were only racing then making it an enjoyable race would be less of an emphasis - I would push the edge and run on the brink of falling past it. That's not my goal this time around - although if I find myself running a pace that would lead to a breakthrough - goals can change on the fly. It may happen. I'm fit and right now I feel reasonably rested. I don't want to push to the point that it would interfere with my Stone Mill 50 training or recovery so all I can say is we'll see. Stay tuned - only three more days!

Peace,
Eric

The Path

There is only one path to peace - forgiveness. The path itself has many names and many leaders to follow - Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Allah. They all taught forgiveness. Jesus forgave on the cross, the Buddha taught that in present moment awareness there is no need to forgive for indeed there is no grievance held in this moment, Krishna stated the need to be free of resentment to rid ourselves of karmic ties that bind us to a world of suffering, and Allah has said that out forgiveness is met in greater force still with his own forgiveness.
We suffer because we cling to the past and we cling due to resentments we are unable or unwilling to let go of. Forgiveness is the offer of freedom from all ties that bind us to this source of suffering. It's not an easy path. But it's the only path.

Peace,
Eric

Little Note On Meditation

Probably no single endeavor has changed my life to the extent that meditation has. Meditation has increased my interior space - allowing room for issues, problems and events to be measured in a thoughtful manner. Meditation hasn't eliminated all of my problems - old ones exist and new ones appear. Yet I have a greater capacity to deal with all aspects of my life now and the mistakes that I make no longer seem as pressing or consuming. I have learned to embrace my flaws without letting them define my true sense of self. For 10-20 minutes twice a day - this is not a bad investment.

Try it.

Eric

Mile After Mile

I believe that running can be therapeutic. I honestly believe that running has kept me alive. In my darkest moments it seems that all I had was running. Meditation was difficult and my writing was floundering. My mother was dying and my wife was leaving me - I was left with nothing. Well, almost nothing. I had miles...and they were all ahead of me. Everything else in my life was slipping to past - but those miles - the ones yet to be covered - they called to me and my legs fairly ached to feel the gift they offered. And the gift wasn't hope and it wasn't faith that a new mile would bring me comfort. No, the gift was being alive in that singular moment of motion - and another mile meant a stretch of peace to last as long as I could muster the courage to keep moving forward. And I did. And I still am. Mile after mile.

Peace,
Eric

Marathon Prep Update

My last long(ish) run before next Saturday's marathon and ran it at just about race pace - not easy yet manageable. I may, however, need to reevaluate my goal for the race. Originally my marathon PR was going to be the Air Force Marathon on September 15th but that didn't pan out as planned so it's on to Baltimore. This was to be a training run for Stone Mill 50 and it still will but I would like to upgrade my performance from "just have fun" to something a little more substantial. I'm still expecting a PR for the course (which isn't an easy one) but don't think it will be my marathon "break through" performance. It will still be fun though and the plan is to hit a decent training run the day after for more Stone Mill prep. So tune in next week to see how things go!

Thanks for reading!

Eric

Words On A Page

Often I will begin a new post without a clue as to what topic I'll be writing on. Today is an example of that and each word (at least in the beginning) will be a complete surprise to me. Beginning is often the hardest part - the hardest part of any endeavor. For writing, facing an empty page with he hope of filling it with something meaningful is a daunting task. The trick is to enter the page free of expectations - words on a page - has become my mantra for many years now. My goal is to write daily and this indeed can often prove overwhelming. Yet knowing that I am free to simply put words on a page and express myself in any manner that I deem fit and worthy - well that is a great gift of freedom. The same holds true for running - a small start - one step, another and no destination other than - out. Miles have flow by with this simple and tiny beginning. And that's my blog for today - an empty page, a few words, and look what's followed.


Thanks for reading,
Eric

Plans

It's not the end of the year yet but I'll already giving some thought to upcoming races, races I hope to do (and do well in) and goals I would like to set and achieve through the upcoming year. On deck is the Baltimore City Marathon. I had no plans for this race other than run it faster then last year and feel well enough afterwards to hot a decent training run to prepare for Stone Mill. However my big PR marathon wasn't able to happen for me so I hope to do a little better then first thought while still leaving some in the tank. As close to 4:00 as possible is the plan. After that it's Stone Mill 50 and a sub 12:00 is the plan for me. A lot depends on conditions of course and how long I'll be running in the dark. Just finishing a 50 always makes me happy though. I may run the NCR Marathon the week after - real slow - just to see if I can do it. It's a race that's been on my list for a few years now.. It's a maybe. After that I'll be looking for a ha;f-marathon to finish the year out in December. Last year I ran the Blue and Grey Half in Fredricksburg VA. and if I can't find one close I'll do it again. It's a tough course - hillier than I would have thought. This will put me for at least one race a month for the last two years. So finding a race will be a priority. And that puts me into the new year. I'll start it off (again) with Nelson's Fat Ass 50k - it's a home turf race, low key and fun. A great way to start out the year. My plan is to do a winter series - Nelson's followed by the Mid MD. 50K another local race and then in short order Hashawa Hills 50k, Seneca Creek 50 and HAT 50k - this will be a great challenge - one more winter race then last year (HAT) and should leave me in great shape to think about a spring 50 or even 100. Nothing in deck but I'll be in shape for something so I'll keep my eyes open. The big races for the year will be CAT (of course) and I'm hoping for the Laurel Highlands 70+ trail race. It's a tough course that runs like a 100. It's in early June which will give me the legs for CAT and plenty of time to recover. I'm even considering training for the North Face Endurance Challenge 50k the week before Laurel Highlands. That's another maybe though. And goals? Run consistent 5ks in the 22:00's, 45:00 10k, sub 1:50 half, sub 4:00 marathon and PR in a 50k (5:56) Doable with consistent hard work.
So that's the plan so far!

Thanks for reading,
Eric

Magic

Fall is in full swing here now - even though it was pretty humid on my morning run today. Maryland weather is always a funny thing and you just never know what to expect. But the leaves are changing and acorns falling - nature is busy. It's a beautiful time to be outdoors and I hope that everyone finds time to enjoy the season. Waking just thirty minutes earlier for a morning walk can change the entire course of the day - nature and movement has this affect on people. The stillness of dawn is a magical, mysterious time - secrets are shared and prayers are whispered and heard. Perhaps Rumi said it best -

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.

Don't go back to sleep.

You must ask for what you really want.

Don't go back to sleep.

People are going back and forth across the doorsill

where the two worlds touch.

The door is round and open.

Don't go back to sleep.

~

Here Rumi is urging us to communicate with nature - with nature being the very essence of God. The breeze at dawn is the breath of God whispering secrets from the world of pure spirit to ours. Only the thinnest of veils separate these two worlds so early in the morning. A prayerful whisper back and and we too join the morning breeze flowing through both worlds. Mornings are magic and fall the Holy days. Make the most of this time.

 

Peace,

Eric

Funny?

It seems easier to make funny comments in regard to vegans and their passion for holding all life sacred. Yes, they make mistakes and can be annoying - but they're not enjoying the tortured flesh of another being and then laughing about it and mocking those who have a courage to stand by such deeply felt convictions. This is why I have so little issue with (true) hunters - my family hunts and to them it's not just a way of life a sacred rite in its own right. They honor the animal by the very act of their own participation in its life and death. There are some hunters that hunt only for the pleasure of the kill - I know few of these and they seem far between. Then there are those who hunt the grocery isle and have the courage to joke about the treatment of their food. This is what you're laughing at -

Funny huh?
So many won't even watch this video and many, many more won't make any changes to help end this suffering. Change is hard, right? Mostly it's just inconvenient. If we don't think about it we don't have to make the effort. I know - I did this too. Yet it was there, a seed of compassion planted in both brain and heart. It grew to the point where I could no longer continue eating the way I had known my entire life and it grew further to the point where I would no longer be silent about why a change needed to be made. People who joke about their love of meat and how these tortured animals look delicious are lying to themselves and that's the worst lie of all. Sooner or later the spirit always rebels and we are left fearful of what we have become and how little we leave the world in the way of love and compassion. It's never too late though. Make a change - a small change - meatless Mondays, cruelty free eggs (find the real thing) research and watch this video as a reminder to why change is needed. Don't be a coward and joke behind the hollow laugh of cruelty. No one really thinks it's funny. Including you.

Peace,
Eric

No Apology

I have to admit that I've become more militant in expressing my vegan views - not in attack mode, and not defensive but more open to voicing my thoughts on torture and practices that endanger animals, the planet and my fellow humans. I'm also less apologetic. Everyone knows it's wrong to torture animals, to allow them to suffer and yet nearly everyone turns away and refuses to end this practice. Why? Their appetite. And that's a shitty reason. Why should I apologise for saying so? Is anyone offering an apology to the animals? How about to me? A meat eaters practice puts me in jeopardy - what with the over usage of antibiotics helping to create super bugs, food poisoning to my food source (fruits and veggies) due to polluted runoff from farm waste, and the destruction to the air I breath and earth I love. Don't like the pictures I post? Too bad. Don't like my words? I don't care. We can deal with it like too caring, rational adults - or not - either way I'll speak my mind. Much the way you speak yours.

Peace,
Eric