Day 34… Gratitude Everywhere (July 20)

Kaneenika jokes this morning as she reaches the corner where are interview is to take place.  “It is too bad I couldn’t take a shortcut to avoid you.”

Of course over the past 33 days she has not cut any corners, shirked her responsibilities, or failed in any way to dedicate herself tirelessly to this enormous task she has once again taken upon herself to do.

She tells me that the first hours of the race, “are very hard for me in the morning to get going.”

Kaneenika did 116 laps yesterday an amount that equals 63 miles.  It is her most since day 1 of the race.  At the end of the day her total  was 1945 miles, just 21 miles off the pace.  Asked if she is anyway putting in a special effort to catch up.  She says, “I am just doing what I can.”

“I don’t think I am pushing too much.  I have to stay focused.  I am not pushing to the extent that I am going to hurt myself or anything.”

“I think there is a big part of surrendering here.  Sometimes I feel like, how can I go on.  Then I tell myself just relax, it will come.  That is how it happens here.”  She says that when she does try and push it doesn’t seem to work.  “On other times it feels like someone is pushing me.  That happens only when I really surrender, and let it go.”

“One afternoon I was having a really hard time.  I was passing through the camp and I overheard one of the race directors speaking to another race director.  He was asking if he could go.  The other said, we are okay you can go.”

“So then I said what about me.  Do you need me?  Can I go.”

“He looked at me and said yes.  We need you to go around.  Sri Chinmoy needs you to go around.  After he said that, those words stayed with me.  I was reflecting on them.  I felt so privileged.  More than that, I started feeling gratitude.”

“I felt gratitude everywhere.  In each blade of grass.  In each leaf on the tree.  I was gasping for breath.  The gratitude was pouring down upon me.  So after that I thanked the race director for what he said.”

“Then I realized why we are really here.  This race is not just for us.  It is for the Supreme and it is for humanity.”

The Board at the Start of Day 34…*Note totals may not be accurate… Magic number is 1,966*

Early

A reminder left by Bipin of what the course looks like sometimes in winter

Kobi and Vajra

Surasa arrives

William reads the news

Rupantar does his video

Kaneenika arrives

Smarana works on his shoes

Vajra leaves

Kaneenika laces up

Start Day 34

A beautiful morning

Vasu did 69 miles, his most in the past 10 days

He now has 2281 miles

Camp

He leads Kobi by 56 miles

A great champion

Flower

Alexei

Kobi ran 66 miles

He now has 2225 miles

Doing very very well

Sahishnu gives Kobi his mail

Green

Ushika did 62 miles

He now has 2006 miles

He leads Sopan by 3 miles at the start of the day

With Max

Great effort

Flower

Kamaneeya and Laila

Sopan did 61 miles

He now has 2003 miles

At one point he stops to work on a very deep blister.  Is not sure what to do.

Very soon afterwards Mario comes and helps him right away

Little miracles happen all the time

Flower

Larisa and Irina sing

Surasa did 59 miles

She now has 1980 miles

She is 14 miles over the magic number

Flower

Kaneenika did 63 miles the most since day 1

She now has 1945 miles just 21 miles off the pace

Her helper Leelavatee

Flower

William did 51 miles

He now has 1878 miles

“I was at the beach the other day when I heard a man shouting.  SHARK ! HELP! I just had to laugh.  I knew the shark wouldn’t help him.”

The great journey continues

Day 34

Flower

Smarana did 38 miles

He now has 1867 miles

Ever moving forward

Flower

Ananda-Lahari did 57 miles

He now has 1834 miles

Flower

Short break

“Every morning it is the same old problem.  Where should I go for breakfast?”

Poem of the Day read by Tarit

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Poem tarit

Enthusiasm Awakeners

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parvati