Sunday 13 May 2012

Gentle and kind wins the race

Pushing ourselves to do the best and be the best can cause us to trip or burn out along the way.  Set your pace at a moderate speed and make sure to stop and witness the elevation you've gained every once in awhile.  The longer our to-do list does not reflect the length and fulfilment of our lives.

Is there an area in your life that you could slow down for awhile?
Are you stopping to witness the view?

8 comments:

  1. Life isn't about doing but being. Stillness often adds more to our life than any action.

    If I perform to win approval from others I'm giving them power over me.

    Meditating and praying every morning, and throughout the day, allows me perspective.

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    1. What a great way to begin your daily journey, I love it. How about your bike rides Pablo? Do you find contentment in them or do you feel a rush of competition when you are cycling? Fitness is a fine line between gentle movement (honouring the body) and a race (possibly harming the body). I find I get competitive when on my moutnain bike.

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    2. I just got in from a late night ride on my bike. It's 12:40 a.m. over here on the Left Coast.

      I'm discovering that riding a bike is a spiritual experience, a spiritual practice. I become one with nature. Life slows down and the world starts speaking to me.

      I find myself in synch with the dirt, gravel, pavement or whatever surface my wheels grasp. I take in the sounds that surround me. I hear the lapping of waves and the occasional complaint of seagulls, as I ride along the shore of the island on which I live.

      My mind absorbs the beauty I encounter---mountains, the shimmering bay, clear skies, clouds, sand and the pungent smell of kelp, in addition to women pushing baby strollers and others using the trails.

      I didn't realize that biking would take me on journeys that transcend the miles I put in. (I'm riding 15-25 miles at a time, and enjoying it.)

      As a runner my experience is different. The world is almost myopic. I'm more in tune with my breathing and heart rate. I'm aware of the immediate road I scurrying on.

      Biking provides me a larger view, it's more all-encompassing. I absorb more while riding: the people I pass, I travel further and I find it more serene than running, I'm not as taxed, physically.

      Someone has said that there are three winners for every race. The person who comes in first, the person who competes against himself and the person who finishes the race. They are all winners. I agree.

      That perspective enables me to enjoy my ride, 15 seconds at a time, drinking it in, delighting in the moment. So, no, I'm not competitive, there's no need to race.

      When riding alone, I'll do intervals, I'll push my pace----I want to see what I can do. But, from decades of running and racing (10ks and marathons), I've learned to mix up my workouts. I alternate intense/hard rides, with an easy day of riding.

      I'm sure this is more information than you wanted. But, you got me long-winded on a subject I enjoy.

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    3. Wow! Pablo, you took my cycling with you!! What an amazing journey it was. This is beautiful :) You make me want to move to the coast, it sounds like such a dream.

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  2. I think one are of my life in which I can slow down for a while is my work. I tend to wrk at a rather frenetic pace at work and I often wonder if that's a bit unhealthy.

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    1. This is hard because you help people on a daily basis. Your work isn't just work, it is service. To see if this extra work is having a negative impact, try to imagine NOT working so hard, would that make you feel not as worthy or anxious or bored? What kind of feelings might bubble to the surface if you didn't push yourself so hard?

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  3. Work - just to be able to stop and breath for few minutes... Exhausting some says...

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    1. Days, not says...that's what exhaustion does to me...ah

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