Geese

“How do geese know when to fly to the sun? Who tells them the seasons? How do we, humans know when it is time to move on? As with the migrant birds, so surely with us, there is a voice within if only we would listen to it, that tells us certainly when to go forth into the unknown.” ~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

I have been noticing so many geese the past week or so. Geese breakfasting on grass and grubs, geese honking at one another, geese soaring through the air, geese splashing into the river. I love their plaintive cries, their fat bodies, their lack of fear of me. I like to watch them flying so beautifully overhead, usually in a group and looking so symmetrical and lovely.

Seeing

"There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it." ~ Minnie Aumonier

I had to actually stop and take my glove off this morning to feel the bark of this tree. I love the swirls and the textures and the aliveness of it. The rough bark under my fingertips was magical in that moment. I pass by this tree a couple of times a week on my runs, and I've never stopped to really SEE it. Today I stopped. I took a moment to pause and really see and touch and be with this tree. I want to open my eyes to more of the small, overlooked beauty in my days. To really see and notice and be more alive.

Peace

"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without." ~ Buddha

This is one of my favorite quotes. I love starting my day in a way that fills me with peace that can keep me grounded throughout the day. It also enables me to be a being of peace and hopefully that peace can be felt and experienced by others and thus I am bringing peace into the world. Beginning a consistent yoga practice is something I have toyed with over the years, but I've never been able to make it stick. I am enjoying my morning time so much with Rodney Yee and AM Yoga, and I have been able to be consistent on my weekeday mornings since the beginning of January. This is something that definitely brings peace to my days.

Today I am beginning a 21-Day Meditation Challenge through the Deepok Chopra Center. The focus for Day 1 is The Mind-Body Connection. Meditation is another experience that I have been wanting to incorporate into my daily life. I have meditated off and on over the years, but I would really like to develop an actual consistent practice of meditation day by day. I am excited about having some guidelines to follow. Often, when I am unsure about something - and meditation seems to fall into that category for me - I find every excuse in the world not to do it.

Running is another part of my day that brings me such peace in so many ways ~ physically, spiritually, mentally. I love having a plan for running too and an enjoying following Hal Higdon's marathon training plan. I have been doing my long runs on trails and enjoyed such an amazingly beautiful run on Saturday by a creek and on some winding trails I had never run on before.

I like having these three experiences as the foundation of my days.

Blue Sky and Clouds

"The sky, a perfect empty canvas, offers clouds nonetheless. They shift and drift and beg interpretation...such is the nature of art." ~ Jeb Dickerson

I love the sky like it was this morning ~ blue, rose, lavendar sky strewn with gray and white clouds. The air was chilly, and the river was swollen from the rain we've been having. I saw several geese bobbing along the bank of the river and several more poking about in the grass at the water's edge.

7 miles this morning ~ a bit faster than normal for me. I felt great! After about a half mile, I remember thinking that absolutely nothing was sore or painful or "off "at all! I stopped and took a few pictures. The sky was just beautiful.

I am already in my 4th week of marathon training. May and the trail marathon will be here before I know it. I did a very low-key training last year and the marathon was HARD. Hoping to ramp things up a bit this year and get in some more hills and some more miles actually on trails. Then I want to keep going and do the 50K Stump Jump at the beginning of October ~ my first ultra!

Right now, I am really enjoying being outside in the mornings and starting my days with running, photography, Nature.