July 16: Inwardly Find A Way – Perfection Journey

Once you get in, it is like life, you have to accept the blows, and there are a lot of good things that come along with it. Once you learn how to focus. The bad things pull your psychic energy and your emotions. But eventually if you take the right attitude, with a lot of support and help from friends. Reminders of what you should be doing or thinking. “..Arpan

Sometime a little over 2 weeks ago Arpan’s 3100 mile race experience drifted radically off from the familiar ground that he has known and been accustomed to now for more than 30 years of distance running.

For the first time he found himself veering off what he hoped would be a total sun bright course that he could follow all the way to the finish line. Instead when his shin splints showed up out of the blue he found himself suddenly shoved into a hard dark place that did not seem like it was ever going to let him free.

With his lengthy experience in running he always knew that the 3100 could not be conquered without some suffering but certainly not with the intensity and the relentless ferocity that he has been pummeled with thus far. For just after the shinsplints lightened their tenacious grip his Achilles problem roared up to take its place.

The world which Arpan found himself inhabiting was a place in which pain has become a most intimate and constant companion. It is not that he has not been here before. When you have run so hard in so many races over the years it is inevitable that just about all the hardships of our life’s physical reality will find some way of tormenting you and try and chase away your dreams. This time though the life lesson he has been given is a master class in how to transcend the physical limitations of the body.

Over the years he has guided and inspired countless other runners as they too battled with tremendous adversity. Help them find some unique formula too push beyond the clutches of injury or adjust tactics in how to discipline the mind and open the heart. To renew their acquaintance with faith and hope.

In just one weeks time he will have his 60th birthday here on the course. There is not a single person that does not wish for him that on that day he have a joyous celebration like he has never had before. That indeed all his days be joyous and bright right up to and including that glorious moment that he victoriously crosses the finish line.

It is easy to look at all this playing out here on this very public and very visible wedge of concrete in Queens. It is quite another thing to even catch a faint glimpse of the inner reality not just for Arpan but in fact for any of the other runners as well. For we can at best only perceive a faint wisp emanating from the surface of this vast world of self transcendence. We can only ponder while they the runners live and breathe the totality of the 3100 mile race. The true destinations of each of their journeys is well beyond the farthest reaches of our speculation and perhaps beyond our dreams.

Do not allow circumstances
To frighten you.

Do not allow situations
To torture you.

Look beyond appearances.

Yours will be
The unmistakable happiness.

Sri Chinmoy, Ten Thousand Flower-Flames, Part 19, Agni Press, 1981.

Pedro has a weigh in this morning. A once a week ritual.

Start Day 30

For some the journey always seems so light and easy

Their path though monotonous always sun lit.

But even the leader has days of monumental struggle

Moments of joy when you least expect it.

“There is a lot of time out here to pray and meditate, and listen to spiritual music. It is not all that bad, it is just some times the pain frustrates your body. As you get older it doesn’t react quite like it used to, or recover like it used to. I get frustrated that way because I get impatient with my body. Other than that there are a lot of great things happening. I am more or less enjoying it though I may not look like it.” (laughs)

“I am glad I am here and I am thinking of coming back if I can’t finish the whole mileage. I am inspired. I learned a lot. I have been learning a lot about the race and the limits of my body. I am confident that I can do it, even if I can’t do it this time. I am confident that I can reach the goal again before I get too too old. Before I am 70 maybe.”

“After a while you realize it is not really a race. It is just a way of life. Each day like life. You have to face each day knowing that you have problems and limitations. Some that are very difficult to overcome. Things that you have to handle on your own, so to speak. There is a lot of help here. A lot of people to support you, but in the end you have to inwardly find a way to accept things, very cheerfully and with faith. That you can overcome your problems and striving towards the goal. Even if you think you are not going to make it the whole way. ”

“When I first started I felt very strong and confident, and I was doing quite well. I was actually building up. I felt like I was getting stronger. But I think a lack of awareness or being careful about certain parts of my body, like my lower legs. It is my own fault. I perhaps over did it. You can’t blame anyone else. Then having to go through injuries which are pretty serious, while moving and trying to stay in the race. Now I am trying to avoid another one.”

“That gave me the feeling that there is quite a bit of grace or help on an inner level. I don’t know if you want to call it spiritual help. In life even though you have to deal with your own problems. If you open the doors there is a lot of opportunities to get help from other people and the Supreme. As long as you don’t give up and try to be cheerful as much as possible.”

“I needed to be reminded a lot to smile and be cheerful. For me it is really developing a whole new perspective on real life. You could say this is a separate life, but it is a representative of reality on a condensed level. That makes you face who you really are, in a very intense way and in a short span of time. And when it is over the experiences will be a valuable part of your future life. This is like an intense university degree, lets say. That instead of 4 years you do it in 2 months.

“You spend a lot of time, 18 hours, and you go through a lot of experiences. Positive and negative. You can avoid some of the things, that I didn’t avoid. So I am learning how to do that. Then I can help other people if they want to do it in the future, to avoid certain things.”

“I think that what I am getting at is that every single thing that I have experienced here is very valuable, to me and to others. So it is not just what it looks like. It is not that I was suffering or unhappy it was just the opposite. And If I get another injury and have to go through the same thing I will be ready for it. In life you just have to learn the lesson over and over and over again.”

Click to play interview

arpan

Struggle and beauty are for everyone

Inwardly you find a way.

On Sunday help came in a more tangible outer way when Dr. Daryl Gioffre a chiropractor came and gave adjustments to all of the runners. “These guys are the cream of the crop. It is a lot of stuff going on because of how hard they are doing this, but the will and intention they have is just incredible. This is something that I love doing.”

“It is so much different then going to my practice. Where here I can just focus on giving for the sake of giving. This is what it is all about.” At this point Arpan shows up to be treated. “I think it is amazing. It just shows how powerful the mind is. You know there are a lot of physical manifestations that everyone can get in life. But the mind is so powerful it can overcome everything. It doesn’t matter how old you are.”

“You see people in theri 20’s and 30’s with less will power. And you see this guy who is 59 years old. It is just incredible to see where he is at. Very inspiring.”