Never give up, never give up!
Even if you lose your way
A great many times,
You must realise that your destination
Is sleeplessly expecting your arrival.
Of course we got it all wrong. That is, we being all those who thought that somehow Suprabha would just surrender to her injury and limp away from her beloved 3100 mile race. Of course we made the kind of mistake that mortals make when trying to comprehend the unfathomable mystery which is Suprabha and perhaps more largely, the race itself. Of course she found a solution that allows her to snatch back another day, more laps, and even perhaps many more miles.
No one is saying she can once again reach the summit, but only she knows how far her heart and spirit will allow her to continue. For now she has seen a doctor, had x-rays, been given some exercises to help, and found hope when for a while there seemed not to be any. She tells me that her hip problem is being described as a unique connection between the ball of the hip, which is round, and the socket which is in her case a triangular shape. She describes it as, “imagine putting a round peg into a square hole.” One cannot really imagine these impossible things nor can we, any of us really know what she will do next.
She warmly greets Petr this morning who is just 18 miles from finishing. He is in a rush to speed through the final laps and finish early. He slows as she congratulates him and compliments him on his performance. He tells her how glad he is to have her back.
by Bhashwar 1981
Give up everything
If you have to.
But never give up
Your heart-beauty’s
God manifestation dream
On earth.
Excerpt from Twenty-Seven Thousand Aspiration-Plants, Part141 by Sri Chinmoy.
Petr arrives this morning knowing that he will smash his previous best by more than 3 days. But he is not about to celebrate just yet. For the past 45 days this has been his home, not the kind of place very many would like to live, yet he and the others have lived their lives right here on a half mile of sidewalk. As eager as he is to see it done, there is a part of him that knows in just a few hours he will rejoin the mortal world once more. Yet when he comes to rest he will at least be a mortal who has flown to the highest heights of self-transcendence.
.
.
“I enjoy running this race a lot,” says Petr who is running the race for the 3rd time. Each time he comes he seems to strip away not just hours but days from the time of his previous performance. Last year he took off 4 days from his time in 2007 and this year it will be 3 days.
He describes the day as a good one for running as we move briskly around the course. He estimates he is just 4 hours from reaching his goal. “It seems now like a very short distance a very short time, but it is a really long race. Sometimes when you suffer it feels like eternity. I had a lot of pain here. You cannot run this race without pain. “
picture by Alakananda
He says he has had different problems but the main one seems to be in the hips. He describes some anatomical configuration that is bound to create problems for all those who run with it. But he laughs with satisfaction and says, “I am not a cripple.”
“When you are finishing. When it is your last day, you feel that the race is still in progress. You do not feel fulfilled, until the last one finishes.” He knows how hard it must be for those who still have many days left to go before they too can cross the finish line. He says, “I will definitely be a helper.”
He feels that his effort here this year will make him stronger and more prepared for next year. He describes something Pranab had told him, “Only fear can stop you. I fully agree, because you can take a lot of pain if you are mentally strong. Usually the mind won’t stop you.” He says that when one is caught up in the mind than every physical ailment becomes more pronounced.
Nonetheless he describes the experience for him as being a battle every day. Some days harder than others. He tells me that it is his stretching that allows him to get through the toughest days. When he is asked why do it if is just so difficult. He pauses for a moment and says, “I guess it is my soul’s wish. I feel even now I will probably come next year. Probably my soul is really happy here.”
He loves being part of this unique running family that includes of course the runners and helpers but also those who enthusiastically come out to cheer them on and bring them treats. “I really love this atmosphere. In the ordinary life there are only rare moments, when you can see this kind of sincerity and self giving.”
He might not be quite up to playing with a soccer ball any time soon but one suspects that Petr will recover quite quickly Asprihanal and some others are going off to the beach and there is also a tennis racket in his back pack.
“It is very very nice, I like it very very much, it gives me a lot of joy and inspiration to run with a wonderful shirt.” It is a spectacular piece of running clothing and as they did last year, his friends back home in Zurich have sent him a shirt covered with their names and small pictures. He jokes, “this is all my fan club. It is really beautiful.”
He tells me that there is so much written on the shirt that he had to carry it for 3 laps just to read all the messages on it. “It was really inspiring for me, absolutely.” Pushkar interview
picture by Alakananda
Petr is the 3rd finisher this year. His time is 45 days, 3 hours, 44 minutes, and 28 seconds. He moves from 12th to 5th in the all time list. He has transcended himself by 3 days and 7 hours.
I do not give up,
I never give up,
For there is nothing
In this entire world
That is irrevocably unchangeable.
Excerpt from Twenty-Seven Thousand Aspiration-Plants, Part 3 by Sri Chinmoy.