Perfection’s Address

It is decidedly an exclusive New York Address.  It is one in which there are many who would love to visit, but perhaps don’t have the very unique requirements to call it home.  A stay here is never permanent.  At the very best one can move in for just 10 days each spring.  For those who are brave enough to come and do their very best it will be no vacation, and certainly no metaphorical walk in the park.  To come and stay here in Flushing Meadow is to be part of the Self Transcendence 6 & 10 Race, an event so challenging and yet so fulfilling you will probably remember your stay here for the rest of your life.

 

For a week now, a construction crew led by Bipin, has been putting it all together.  The first race starts on Monday and the preparation, just to be able to say “Go.” at noon on that day is an incredible undertaking in and of itself.

To put it mildly, the weather has not been great.  For most construction crews this could mean lengthy delays but the clock never stops ticking here.  There is just too much to be done and so little precious time.

On Saturday the crew was battling the cold and the wind.  It was bad and moving swiftly on to becoming much much worse.

At this time the first of the many tenants were getting their tents up and doing their final preparations.  The runners come from many parts of the world.  Some have been here many times and know what it can be like to call this exclusive address home.

On Saturday a lot of tents would go up.  By Saturday night some tents would come down with the help of howling wind and heavy rain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For some there is the simple adventure of helping put up a tent. The feeling here has always been less about competition and more about helping others attain their goals.

Not everyone can run hundreds of miles for days and days, but everyone can find ways to help and contribute to this great adventure.

 

On Sunday most if not all the 10 day runners will move in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those who set up their tents the day before they will come today and be surprised.  Yesterday they may have thought they were all ready, but the weather late yesterday offered some unexpected surprises.

For some it meant structural repair and for others it was just time to bail out the sinking ship.

Rupantar the race director has seen it all, or just about so.

There is no task too menial, or no problem that cannot be solved.

Organizing an event of this size is not for the faint of heart or for those afraid to get their hands dirty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is always so much going on it is almost impossible to keep track of all the painstaking effort.

 

It is almost as though the construction crew is giving every last possible precious effort in order to create make a temporary world that is perfection itself.

 

It is hard to describe the atmosphere here at the little camp.  Really it is the faces of those who come, if even only briefly, that show it is a powerful and yet tranquil world.

And yes, the course has been changed to avoid some of the flooding problems that have the plagued it in recent years.

Fred Davis has been here many times and actually has a tent within a tent.

 

It is now midday on Sunday and there is just 24 hours until the start.  A lot of work has yet to be done but it will be ready come the start tomorrow.

The enthusiasm on the faces of the runners as they arrive is amazing.

One has to remember that the next 10 days will be no vacation for anyone here at this exclusive NY address.

 

No more shall I use
My present address.
I shall use from now on
A totally new address:
God’s Oneness-Heart-Home.

 

Sri Chinmoy, Twenty-Seven Thousand Aspiration-Plants, Part 234, Agni Press, 1996.