This morning Kaneenika got a sweet surprise. While she was passing Parvati and the Enthusiasm Awakeners, Parvati stepped out to hand her a picture. It was taken, at best guess 11 years ago, when Sri Chinmoy used to come to the race each morning and teach the girls a new song.
In the photo Kaneenika is across the street watching, arms comfortably folded, and wearing a Sri Chinmoy Marathon team shirt. Her days of watching of course are long over. This is her 3rd summer here and as she starts the day here she is 310 miles away from doing something historic. Setting a new world record for women at the Self Transcendence 3100 mile race.
This morning as we are talking and the subject of this great ordeal nearly being over comes up. She feels that, “There is a time to start and a time to finish.”
“You have to do things a day at a time, actually even a lap at a time. But there are things that are surprising me. I have had experiences in the previous races when you feel like you can’t go on. This is it. How can I possibly make another step and then something happens and you are running again.”
“It is definitely all about the miracles and grace out here.”
“During this past Christmas I watched a movie about this teenage boy and he wakes up and it is Christmas morning. Everything goes wrong for him. (Christmas Every Day) The next day he wakes up and again it is Christmas morning. So he has to go through all the things he did wrong again.”
“He improves some things and then he makes some other mistakes. Not just him but his whole family. This goes on again and again. So he has to go through this until he gets things right. I was thinking, one day as I was running. I remember this movie, and it was quite inspiring for me. There is something similar here.”
“We wake up in the morning and we come here. We have plenty of time to better ourselves. To change something that will hopefully will last at least sometime after the race. In an ideal world it should last for our whole life.”
Last year Kaneenika had a powerful experience one day when she felt a great wave of peace wash over her. “I think more and more that it is still inside me now. When I want it I can just reach for it.” We have just passed the area where the experience took place. She tells me how much she still loves passing by there.
“I know Sri Chinmoy spent so much time there. Exercising in the early years and when the race was on he would come and spend time to encourage the runners.”
“So whenever I run there I still feel a wave of peace. But now I feel as though I carry it with me. I can just, whenever I have problems reach for it an use it if I need to.”
To better oneself
Means to be
A good citizen of the world.
Sri Chinmoy, Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, part 13, Agni Press, 1999
The board at the start of Day 45
Camp
Clock
Gints sweeping up the street
Suhasini
Hat
Yuri
Yolanda and coach Renae
Vajra and Gints cleaning up
Joke
Wide
Kaneenika
Smarana
Girls
Yolanda
Nidhruvi
Details
Harita
Nirbhasa
Vajra says on average he collects 9 full trash bags every morning around the course
Boys
Ananda-Lahari
Kaneenika
Start Day 45
A bright clear day
Vasu did 66 miles 121 laps
He now has 2894 miles
With Adhiratha
3 more days
Flower
Nirbhasa did 63 miles 115 laps
He now has 2792 miles
Still telling jokes
The finish line is close
Flower
Kaneenika did 65 miles 119 laps
She is 111 miles ahead of last year and 37 miles ahead of the world record pace
With Suhasini
An amazing athlete
Parvati giving her the photo this morning
Flower
Harita did 59 miles 109 laps
She now has 2625 miles
Looking for new jokes
Time for the show
Funny stuff
Just needs to maintain this pace
Flower
Yolanda did 62 miles 113 laps
She has to maintain this pace
Getting support
Coach Renae
Flower
Smarana did 54 miles 100 laps
He now has 2422 miles
Flower
Andrey did 55 miles 102 laps
He now has 2365 miles
Friends
Flower
Sergey did 47 miles 87 laps
He now has 2335 miles
The long long journey
Flower
Nidhruvi did 53 miles 98 laps
She now has 2288 miles
There has to be a joke in here that is funny
Your on
A celebration 2300 miles
The bells are ringing
A bit of green
Ananda-Lahari did 45 miles 83 laps
He now has 2201 miles
Flower
Swamiji
Flower
Gints putting the awning out
Camp
Juggling practice
“If you need a friendly dog I know exactly where to find one…..woof.”
Bhashwar reads the Daily Prayer
Click to Play:
Enthusiasm Awakeners
Click to Play:
Question: What is your message to the world and possibly to the young people of our country? What is the essence of your credo?
Sri Chinmoy: My message is very simple. We all must try to become better citizens of the world. Now let us say at the present time we are good — you are good, I am good, he is good, she is good. But even though we are good, we feel that we can become better and best. As we make progress in this way, we get more joy and more satisfaction in our lives.
Our goal is to have a peaceful feeling in ourselves. First we have to establish peace within ourselves, and only then can we try to offer peace to others. If I feel peaceful, then I shall not find fault with you or quarrel with you. If you feel peaceful, then you will not quarrel with me or with somebody else. So if I can find inner peace within myself and if you can find peace within yourself, then that peace will grow in the world like a flower, petal by petal. Each country in the world is a beautiful petal on the flower of oneness. The Soviet Union is a petal. India is a petal. America is a petal. Each petal has to contribute its beauty and fragrance to the flower as a whole. Only then can they form a most beautiful oneness-flower, which the whole world will be able to appreciate and admire.
So my message is that each country has to come to the fore with its inner message of love and feeling of oneness.
Sri Chinmoy, Sri Chinmoy answers, part 28, Agni Press, 2000
BEAUTIFUL interview with Kaneenika. Thank you so much Utpal. Great going, Kaneenika!
The interview is beyond the words…. increadible Kaneenika!!!