Day 34…Love The Whole World (July 19)

“Yes it also made me happy, because there were trees and elephants in the joke.  It is always nice.”

Just a few minutes earlier Ashprihanal had told a joke to the Enthusiasm Awakeners.  His partner in the joke telling was Salil who happily played the straight man.

“Salil, How is it we do not see all the elephants hiding up in the trees?”

“I am not sure.   Why don’t we see the elephants hiding in the trees?”

“Because they are very very good at it.”

Ashprihanal, as an exchange student from Finland in the US had a chance to hike and appreciate nature like very few.  He hiked both the Pacific Coast trail and the Appalachian trail.  As you imagine those places you can almost smell the coolness of the deep piny woods and the inviting fresh cool lakes just a half more mile further down the soft mossy trail.

Which is to say these images compare not at all to the hard cruel concrete he has navigated in a never ending loop for the past 33 days.  Yet when asked about this he points with delight at the Japanese Maple that Sri Chinmoy planted many years ago.

https://www.srichinmoyultraphoto.com/3100-mile-race/2019

There are tiny patches of flowers near the camp that he also notices and then there are of course the trees that he ever so gently pats most laps as he runs by.  But then again enjoying nature was not exactly in the description of the race nor is it now in this his 15th hot summer in Queens.

“It is how we look at things.”

https://www.srichinmoyultraphoto.com/3100-mile-race/2019

I wondered how he appreciated the heavy thunderstorms the other day. “The lightning kind of wakes you up.  So something new is happening instead of the regular routine.  A short thunderstorm can feel like a change.”

“But if it rains all day then it is never nice.”

“There are some problems I had before and also some totally new ones.  There has been some limping but otherwise it has been quite good.”

When asked if being in first place helps.  “It is all in the frame of the mind.  It doesn’t matter which place you are in.  If your frame of mind is heavy then it doesn’t matter where you are.  So I don’t think it has to do so much with where you are.  Then how your mind is and how you feel.  That is most important.”

As we are running, which is already uncomfortably quick for me.   Ananda-Lahari speeds by.  With a smile of delight he says, “he is showing us the way to the Golden Shore.”

Dipali’s Race Tips #5

The Board at the Start of Day 34

Camp early

Anupam puts up web cameras

Clock

Smarana

Ushika

Smarana and Ashprihanal

Harita

Start of Day 34

Late start

The weather

Mostly overcast

Ashprihanal has 2189 miles

https://www.srichinmoyultraphoto.com/3100-mile-race/2019

He ran 68 miles yesterday

He is 23 miles ahead of Nirbhasa

Flower

Aharan fixing shoes

Nirbhasa has 2166 miles

He ran 66 miles yesterday

He is nearly 61 miles ahead of his previous best

Flower

Bipin and Sahishnu

Vasu has 2087 miles

He ran 61 miles yesterday

He is 24 miles ahead of Ananda-Lahari

Flower

Counters

Ananda-Lahari has 2063 miles

He ran 60 miles yesterday

Flower

“From you pictures I thought you were taller.”

Smarana has 2042 miles

He ran 62 miles yesterday

He is 31 miles ahead of Harita

Flower

Dipali and Renata

Harita has 2011 miles

She ran 61 miles yesterday

With Mandra

Flower

Mandra

Todor has 1983 miles

He ran 59 miles yesterday

Making 2000 miles

Flower

Todor’s snacks

Ushika has 1745 miles

He made 49 miles yesterday

Flower

Sahishnu and one of the glamour jobs

Poem of the Day held by Anya and Sveta

God’s Heart
Is our Progress-thrill.

Sri Chinmoy

July 19th, 2006

Enthusiasm Awakeners

I shall love the whole world,
But I shall control
Only myself.

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