Sri Chinmoy – Page 72 – Perfection Journey

It’s About Perfection

He is someone who not only has a keen understanding of the significance of the 3100 mile race but has also performed a very practical and vital role there as well for many years. Pradhan is someone keenly suited to finding solutions to the obstacles confronting the runners on many levels, not just the physical. In simple and practical ways his chiropractic treatments helps enable many of the athletes running there to perform at their maximum capacity, day in and day out. He is a chiropractor of extraordinary talent and though he no longer maintains a professional practice he still has been able to serve at nearly all of the multi day races that Sri Chinmoy Marathon team has organized in New York. This is no small feat as he is a resident of Chicago and yet has found time during his busy schedule to visit New York and willingly serve those who are trying to test the very limits of their physical capacity and endurance.

As exceptional as he is as a giver of chiropractic adjustments, Pradhan is also keenly aware of the world beyond the physical. He knows first hand that these exceptional runners sometimes also need encouragement and inspiration on the mental, emotional and spiritual level as well. Physical problems sometimes may be the least of the many obstacles the runners encounter when facing such a momentous task as running 3100 miles. He has great and lengthy experience in dealing not only with the athletes who attempt the impossible but also understanding the great challenges of the spiritual life in general. I had an opportunity during the race to interview him and ask him for some of his thoughts on what these incredible athletic events are all about.

Talk transcribed by Bhadra

Photos by Arpan, Prabhakar, Jowan

Utpal: Why do you think Sri Chinmoy created this world of multi-day races?

Pradhan: I think it was an actual extension of – you know –of his spiritual philosophy. It was something that evolved. He used it as a metaphor for what we’re trying to do inwardly. On our path, there are people who run regularly all the time. And it is understood that the runner accomplishes his goal by placing one foot in front of the other.

And the multi-day races evolved. In the early days, it was just a mile, two miles. I remember in the early days – it was like, the guys ran 3 miles – can you believe it? –it was unbelievable. We’d often have Games Days, or Olympic-style races – these guys would often run outside the field, they’d run out on the street. They’d go three miles, or five miles – then, applying the principles of self-transcendence, eventually it came to be a multi-day race. And the multi-day races, especially the 3100, lend themselves to an inner demand, where you have to go within in order to accomplish the task. So I think that’s why the multi-day races are such an important part of the Sri Chinmoy Centre.

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Reaching New Heights

In many ways it is a typical Queens backyard. There is a nice Cherry tree in the back corner and a chain link fence by the street that keeps the rambling expanse of green secluded and private. For 50 weeks of the year you wouldn’t pay much notice to it at all. It is in those 2 special weeks in late August however that for the past few years it has become a place of playful wonder and amazement.

Car drivers zipping past are probably unaware of what takes place just yards from the street. The gaze of pedestrians making their meandering way up the sidewalk however must certainly be drawn in befuddlement at the unique creations that begin to appear there just over the fence during the steamy heart of every late summer.

It all seems to all happen in a brief yet explosive burst of activity. One moment there will be piles of lumber, great mounds of bagged sugar, or enough popcorn to feed several circus crowds many times over. The whys and wherefores of this puzzle are easily understood when you learn that the man behind the unusual goings on is Ashrita Furman. He is a human tsunami wave of energy and enthusiasm. It is he who is the creator and breaker of the most Guinness book records ever and is the instigator of the unusual constructions that appear across the wide expanse of rugged green lawn.

It has happened for many years now that Ashrita and a crew of fellow disciples have engineered and manufactured world record marvels in order to honor their spiritual teacher Sri Chinmoy. Since his passing in 2007 the tradition has continued. Last year a giant edible lollipop was constructed. This year Ashrita decided upon building the worlds largest see saw. Don’t ask me why, and came up with the dimensions of 79 feet long to match what would have been Sri Chinmoy’s age on his birthday August 27th.

Yuyudhan is this years job foreman and when I come upon him first he was in the early stages of trying to put together this typical playground apparatus, but of the almost impossible dimensions. His good humored reply as to how he got involved, “trickery. We have got 2/3rds of a teeter totter going here, or what some in England would call a see saw.”

It is still fairly early in the building stage and it appears that there are few, if any glitches that are likely to slow the inevitable progress of its construction in time for its final installation on the 27th. For now Yuyudhan and his crew are trying to just get the object assembled and see if it is going to work.

At this point in its construction he says, “we are just trying to get things going. We are now assembling 2 of the 3 main pieces of the see saw.” He then admits that some wrong bolts where purchased which will have to be replaced. Only a small inconvenience.

He has been working for almost a week at this point and it becomes clear that there has been a real collaboration on its design. In some mysterious way, a crew seems to come together almost spontaneously, of the right capacity and number, at just the right time each year as well. He says that Bishwas was principally responsible for designing the stand and that he did much of the structural fine tuning of the see saw portion.

When asked where the ‘trickery’ came in with his involvement he says, “I was supposed to build it, and not get into the design and all that.” Clearly though he is relishing his involvement in constructing the world’s biggest see saw. As simple as it appears it takes real skill to super size such a simple device. He came up with some important ideas that would allow the see saw to achieve its great length with a minimal amount of weight.

He goes into some technical discussion on how and why he chose certain materials. At this point it looks close to being operational but he says that is still a day away. It will take at least 12 guys to pick up the see saw and put it in place on the stand. This will happen in the next 24 hours he says.

The almost constant rain has been a major factor in slowing down the early production. At this point he has August from Iceland and Keith from New Zealand as his crew. He says, “It is not that hard for one or two people to put most of it together. The problem is that once you get the sections together one or two people cannot lift this thing.”

He describes how the pivot in the middle will be 10 feet high and that the rider on the end of it will rise up 20 feet. With all the trees in the yard I wonder how it is even possible to adequately test the see saw. “It will fit,” he states categorically. He also has been designated as one who will have the dubious distinction of being the first test pilot, I mean rider. He is convinced all will go well. “It is going to be a great teeter totter and a record breaker.”

Yuyudhan interview

[audio:http://perfectionjourney.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/yuyudhan.mp3|titles=yuyudhan]

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The Gift

Sri Chinmoy’s long distance running life started in a simple and spontaneous way. On June 1 1978 while visiting in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park where he had just planted and dedicated a Peace tree. It was a typical late spring day, overcast and coolish. A not untypical San Franciscan day. After the formalities of the Peace tree inauguration he invited the small gathering of his students to go out and run with him in the park. They did not run far and they did not run fast but it was something new and it was a clear sign that a great shift in life in the Sri Chinmoy center was about to take place.

Click to play Golden Time

After the run, and still slightly out of breath, he invited all who were there to come and run the New York city marathon in the fall of the year. It was an invitation that would spread out far and wide, to all of his students everywhere. Running the New York city marathon became a tradition that continued for many years until 2002, when the marathon team then sponsored their own race in August during the yearly celebrations.

There were of course many recent events in the year leading up to June 1 1978, that had given us strong clues that distance running would become the next big thing in the center. The Liberty Torch relay had crisscrossed America just 2 years earlier and Canada’s Oneness Heart had traversed the country from coast to coast the summer before. From these events Sri Chinmoy’s students had received a small sampling of what running could accomplish both within and without. He was obviously inspired to provide even more opportunities for the young men and women in the center so that they might find opportunities to excel and transcend themselves in sport. No one realized of course that Sri Chinmoy the sprinter would soon become a distance runner himself.

Click to play Practice

What no one knew, on that cool spring day, was that an even greater opportunity for progress was soon to arrive. It would come even before most could even digest fully the significance of running the 26 mile marathon in New York.

A few of us had been fortunate enough to be just slightly ahead of the pack. A handful had run the 1976 NYC marathon and an even greater number, including myself had run in 1977. But a little more than a month after this recording was made, and probably less than a month before his 47th birthday, Sri Chinmoy offered us all a totally surprising and unprecedented invitation. Starting at midnight, on August 27th, when his 47th birthday was to begin we were all invited to run in a 47 mile race.

Many years have passed since we all heard this news. It is a distance now that is minuscule when compared to the thousands of miles that are now run regularly in many of the marathon teams scheduled events. At the time however it was such a formidable number that even the young, trained, and very fit runners could not really comprehend how it could be done. To make it even more interesting it was to be run on a course that started on the gritty cinder track of Jamaica high school and then meander around the outer block with its bumpy sidewalks, sharp turns, and the formidable Margaret Tietz hill. It was an unbelievable challenge and most had no idea what to expect. It was after all almost twice as far as a marathon. It was hard to even imagine if we could make it to the track for that last victory lap and still be able to grab the flag and make it through to the finish line.

No one can truly comprehend the totality of a Spiritual Master. Safe to say his task is to be but pure guidance, compassion and love for his disciples. He never forces anyone to do anything beyond their capacity and, he has a clear insight of what course will take us most directly and speedily to our goal. We may not ever understand him, but we do have the obligation of understanding and developing fully our relationship to our spiritual Master. This comes in many ways and over time. Principally through spiritual practices and disciplines is it gradually and steadily nurtured and obtained. Over a life time it slowly evolves and blossoms. Each day more and more is revealed but most of us have a limited capacity for serious and lengthy meditation. To transfer sedentary meditation to active distance running is another matter. It is a unique way to occupy the mind and body with the challenge of long distance while simultaneously allowing the heart to come to the for.

What I, and most of us discovered that first night we ran the 47 mile race was that this race would be like no other. It was a unique and dynamic spiritual act in its own right. True it would be hard, long, and difficult but the reward we all gained over the hours on the road were immeasurable. For many it was but one long sustained meditation. An opportunity to see that even in the most difficult things in life, our teacher, Sri Chinmoy, was in fact acting in and through us. By simply letting go of our limitations he would open up our inner unbounded capacity and we would be able to see, that in fact. nothing was impossible, if it was truly inspired from within.

But there was something more about running throughout the long dark night of the 47. Every moment you could not help but be aware that it was our Guru’s birthday. That whatever inner connection you felt or held in your heart for your spiritual teacher was almost always constantly present with each step and with each additional mile achieved on our way towards the goal. You could not help but be conscious of all the countless things that he had done to inspire your life, for the love and affection he provided, and the guidance and care that can only come from one who has accepted a deep and personal responsibility for your spiritual life. In other words it was impossible while running to not be aware of just how lucky we all were to have a true teacher, and be offered a unique and golden opportunity to help in our inner growth. And to add to all this, on 2 occasions he himself ran the full distance running with us over the course of the long dark night.

I am not sure at what moment I really understood what the 47 really meant to me. The first race was 32 years ago. I seem to recall however, that even from my first step that took us all forward, about 12:07 that night, that for me this race would be my gift to Sri Chinmoy. There was nothing I had that he needed or wanted. He was all about giving to his his students. In return the least I could offer to him was my absolute best effort and my heart’s dedication in this 47 mile race. A gift that I gave for quite a few years and is one that many still find able to give even today.

47 mile photos by Bhashwar

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I Was Just The Willingness

There are now but 5 champions left upon the great stage of the 3100 mile race. 6 others have already completed the grand mission that was set out for them here to do. Now they, like us, are but spectators to this magnificent impossibility adventure, swiftly drawing down to a close on this the final day.

Today these runners will perform their final acts. They will take all the steps and turns that they can and that they must do in order to achieve their absolute best. Something that they have not neglected over other days but now upon this the very last, each and every moment here is so sweet and and yet so fleeting. It will lead them, either to a glorious finish line, or they will simply tread on until the unyielding hands of time simply forbid that they step forward any further.

All here will perform what they can and what they must before the curtain falls at midnight and sweeps to a close this the 14th running of the Self-Transcendence 3100 mile race.

Today Dharbhasana will defy both his skeptics and his own self doubt. He will prove that as powerful as pain and injury are the heart is infinitely stronger. The sweet inspiration that whispered softly to him to come and challenge impossibility will now roar in delight that he has found victory by simply letting victory itself carry him there.

Surasa last night reached a goal on an unyielding day that reluctantly gave her 2700 miles. For many days she knew already that the grander vision would not be realized. At least not here and now. She will run on today simply because their is time left and she came here but to run. As long and as hard as she possibly could.

Both Baladev and Ananda-Lahari have seen their journey end here before they could reach the ultimate finish line. Today grace has not favored them with this honor for reasons we will never know. But they have been blessed in other ways that are secret and sacred only to them. Divinity does not neglect those like them who ran so hard for so long. We may not see how they were blessed. We are only able to be aware of their indomitable courage to go on and on. That if we ever forget what it is, “to never give up,” than we only have to look at the sacrifice and courage that they continually offered up here for 52 days.

Purna-Samarpan has found his satisfaction in a different goal. He starts the final day with just 25 miles more to go in order to reach 2700 miles. It is not the goal that he first set out to reach but it is what has been offered to him. In about 6 hours later he will accept it with grace and with gratitude. picture by Alakananda

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Every Step Brings Me Closer

Ever since humanity was able to recognize a divine existence within themselves they have been trying to seek it out, and bring it forth from within. It is never easy to establish a constant inner oneness with this divinity, as so much of our outer nature tries to deny and negate even the very existence of this part of us that lies within. The very nature of our bodies and minds is to only to accept physical lethargy and try and ride the mental merry go round that really leads us nowhere.

Sometimes most powerfully, the inner in us breaks through and shows us the way for our entire being to be transformed and made one. In practically all religions the call to pilgrimage is part and parcel of this transformation process. The journey will take you to a sacred spot in which a spark of consciousness can be lit and we will feel our connection to our soul’s reality on all planes.

Pushkar one day during the race had a powerful experience in which he no longer saw himself running around and around a block but instead on a sacred pilgrimage in with he was always moving forward. “Something entered into me. It was much easier to accept. Every step I do brings me closer. On that day I did my best. I could not do more.” Today that journey will come to a close, at least for this year.

“I am able to complete this unimaginable distance only because of God’s boundless compassion, affection, and concern.” He is wearing a special shirt that he has only worn once before. The only other time he wore it was when he finished the race last year. The previous year when he did not complete the race he did not wear it. On the back it says, “Joy Guru…27)

He will be slower by more than a day from last year but he is not disappointed by this at all. He does not believe that the heat bothered him as much as some of the others but suspects that it may have indirectly affected his digestive problems. As a whole he has learned a lot from being here the 2 previous summers and feels more disciplined and independent.

He spoke recently about how happy he was to be able to continue to run after Asprihanal finished 2 days ago. He felt that his own finish would likely be a mixture of sadness and joy. “A smiling eye will definitely come forward.” He confesses that already this morning the crying eye was present when he was filled with overwhelming gratitude that he was able to be here and complete the journey.

“I would love to go for ever and ever but this is just a part of it. Another part says, “let us reach the finish line and take a little rest,” and he laughs. I suggest that if he wants to run for ever and ever he just needs to come back every year and run. “If the outer circumstances allow it, I will definitely be here. It is the most beautiful thing I can do on earth. What ever you do is the right thing here. If you come you move, move, move. Everything you do is in God’s own way done.”

Pushkar Interview

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It Is Our Destiny

“It is like a piece of cake.” Atmavir starts his last day on the course with just 24 miles left to run. He tells me that he learned the piece of cake expression from the great Austrian runner Smarana. But there is precious little about this year’s race that is either sweet, tasty, or delicious for Atmavir. It seems to have been a hard fought battle for him almost from start to finish.

“It is very good weather today and I will enjoy it until the end. But it is not like it was on other days. Outwardly the result was not very good. I will be 4 days behind my last years result. Inwardly I feel quite good. I feel I made some little steps towards my goal. From that point I am really happy and satisfied.”

He tells me that he was expecting that the race was going to be difficult for him even before he arrived. “And it happened.” He says he knew that conditions at the 6 and 10 day race were extremely challenging earlier in the year and somehow felt that the challenges would simply appear in another form here. In this case a summer of relentless heat and humidity.

“I was wondering why I was suffering so much this year, while some people were really quite smooth. On those really hot days. My feeling is that every body has a different role in this race, and we have to accept these roles.” He explains that it is also in the task of cheerfully accepting the different results, no matter whether it is success or failure, that is perhaps one of the key accomplishments for those who run here. That you must work extremely hard to do your best and than as well be grateful for whatever the outcome might be.

“Definitely I am quite happy that it will be over. It was my toughest year here. It was my hardest race ever. On the other hand the inner progress that we are doing here. If you are putting yourself through more pressure maybe something deeper will appear.”

“Also I really like the poems this year, written by Sri Chinmoy.(2007) Those were special for the race. I realize those poems were really like diamonds for us. Those poems are really powerful. Those poems are kind of the secret of the race for me. Like, why we are here. It is our destiny. It is our goal.”

Atmavir Interview

A heart of faith

is a life of tremendous happiness.

Poem of the Day

written by Sri Chinmoy

August 1st, 2007

Poem of the Day

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I Would Love to Run for Eternity

Little by little

I must change my life only

in God’s own Way.

Poem of the Day

Written by Sri Chinmoy

July 31st,2007

With but a few exceptions, none of the runners here is running so quickly that most people, even in pretty average condition, could not keep up with them for the length of at least one city block. There are times of the day when they might pick it up, but for the most part every body here runs pretty slow. When dealing with time nothing moves quickly. Though as the final days slip away into oblivion our perception of time can be skewed. The striking enormity of the distance they are running and the super human effort to accomplish it however never changes.

What is miraculous is how much that can be accomplished and transformed in ourselves simply by being diligent and persevering. Harnessing ourselves to a, never give up attitude, and trying to eliminate the distractions in our lives that serve no genuine purpose. Instead, imagine how better we would feel and be if we just started focusing on the tasks that will give us inner satisfaction and fulfillment.

Over the summer I have heard lots of stories from others who have found inspiration from what the 11 runners have done here this summer. For some it is simply reevaluating their priorities. Get more exercise, eat less and better, and maybe just trying to reexamine their goals, both outwardly and within. Finding out what taking little steps can do to improve our own lives.

“Yeah, step by step.” Purna-Samarpan. “Don’t overstretch.” Pushkar. I had asked Pushkar and Purna-Samarpan to recite the above poem and before you know it they offered some commentary on it. “Yeah, one step at a time, and also accept whatever is given to you. Be patient.”

When I mention that there are very few days left, Purna-Samarpan jokes. “Yeah, we paid for 52 days so we are staying until the end.” He adds more seriously that while Pushkar will finish likely in 2 days, he himself has almost 200 more miles to go in order to reach 2700. “It sounds little in comparison to what we have run already but still, it won’t come easy. It is coming to an end and it is a good feeling.”

Pushkar jokes, that now they will need to become really spiritual in the last few days. “No joking and kidding any more,” and laughs hilariously. “I have a crying eye and a smiling eye. Crying eye, is that it will be over, and no more running. No more divine progress running. Smiling eye, is that you have reached the finish line and you can get a little rest. You are so happy delighted.”

Purna-Samarpan describes that for him as soon as the race is over, that life afterward takes some adjustment getting used to it again. “In the beginning it is a little bit plain, also a little bit dull or something. It changes obviously. It is not so easy to readjust. It takes some time to get back into your rhythm.”

“Here you run because you run.”

“Tonight we will finish 7 weeks of running.”

Pushkar, “just after Asprihanal finished, I got a very happy feeling, that I am still not finished. That I can still continue running. I got such joy that I can continue to run. I got the feeling, that I would love to run for eternity. Up to the moon and back, whatever. This was quite special. Running for eternity, eternity, and eternity.

Pushkar and Purna-Samarpan Interview

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I Am Just Running

“I don’t know. I just did it. I don’t think about it. I am just running.” Pranjal starts day 48 with just 18 miles more to run. When he crosses the line in just a few hours he will once again better his timing on the course. It is his 6th straight year here and if he maintains his pace he will break his personal record from last year by more than a day.

This is very much his world here. Over the past 48 days no one has ever arrived on the course before him and he has generally been the last one to leave at night. He seems to try and take advantage of every possible available moment in which it is permissible to run. If the 3100 was always difficult in past years the race this summer has been a nightmare of heat and humidity. For a big man like himself there had to be long stretches of absolute and utter torture in order to somehow average 65 plus miles a day. The reason he succeeds so well is simple. “I don’t like easy things.”

“I like when you have to really fight for something. You get more happiness from that. When people try to have life as easy as possible, I don’t think it is right. You will not get the right experiences from that. You will get more experiences from the obstacle that you must go over.”

We talk about how his spiritual teacher always set new and higher goals for himself right up until his final days. Pranjal models himself very much on the importance of trying to better yourself in every possible way. “This race is the best for that. This is the main point of the race. It is not what you do, You have to do your best. It does not matter on the outer result. When you try your best this is the real goal.”

He feels that all his capacity, endurance, and energy comes from within. “The problem is that people are thinking too much about it. This energy is always inside. Your mind always gives you some boundaries.” Once one does this he believes than the possibilities around us become unlimited. There is nothing that we then cannot accomplish. “What is holding us back is our mind. When you go beyond the mind you can find that there is much more.”

It has been 3 years now since Sri Chinmoy was last able to come. Like all who continue to run here he is adamant about the feeling that all have expressed that his presence is still very much alive here. “This is his race. His spirit is always here. This course is very special, like sacred. You can really feel his energy here. I think this is what draws people here. They can really experience his consciousness here. I always felt here that his energy was more stronger here.”

He describes this experience as being totally an inner reality. He describes that on the surface the course can appear to be utter bedlam. With kids playing basketball, the traffic, construction on the field, and all the myriad of distractions and eruptions that take place in and around the area all day long. It cannot be seen only felt. “This energy is somewhere inside.”

Complete Pranjal Interview

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Self-Transcendence’s Distant Shore

He stands on the starting line this morning with but 30 more miles to go. He is silent and serene and his eyes gaze downwards. He is meditating, he is praying, he is offering up thanks or he may be doing a thousand other things or maybe nothing at all. On the outer plane however, the loud volume of his actions over 46 days are open to all for inspection. His miles carefully annotated and can be scrutinized by all who choose to do so.

But how to understand and appreciate the heart and spirit that carried him through out the long hot summer. Can any of us who have watched the full measure of his heroic deed here really grasp and comprehend any of it at all.

At even our finest moments of pristine clarity and of vision, we can barely glimpse only a fraction of the enormity of the burdens he has borne here. And not just this year but in all the 10 summers he has set off for the impossibly distant finish line. All we can really see for sure are the numbers, and the times pressed by pencil into neat columns on clip boards.

For the past 46 days he has run 3069 miles. He has traveled so far and yet he has gone no where. At least our eyes tell us this, but in our hearts know this is not true. For the power that really moves him also moves us and the world around us as well. For 3100 miles he listened to, and became one with, the power within. Hopefully when our call comes, no matter the deed, we too will be able to answer.

He was given an invitation to take a great and monumental inner journey. He willingly and gratefully accepted, and now he heroically stands on Self-Transcendence’s distant shore.

Galya starts the day with just 61 more miles to go. This will be the 2nd time he has reached the finish line. His time this year will be something like 2 days faster than last year and by any and all computation standards his betterment of his previous time is unequivocally a demonstration of Self-Transcendence.

But the transformation of this 39 year old Ukrainian is much more than just better timing. He started the race as Vladimir, and somehow by the wondrous mysteries of life, he is now known by the spiritual name of Galya. He has a lifetime ahead of himself now to appreciate and identify with this new inner identity. Use it to unlock and reveal much more of the world within him. To fully become the divine being that his heart wants him to be.

At the same time in just a few hours more he will be able to rest and sit still at last. No longer be driven by the relentless pace of his constantly churning legs that never knew true rest for the past 46 days. To at last enjoy and abide in the place within that he has struggled so hard to arrive at. He will be the 2nd champion to arrive at last on Self-Transcendence’s Distant shore.

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Be A Part Of The Race

It is his last full day on the course. At his present rate, most likely sometime on Thursday afternoon Asprihanal will stride across the line and be declared the winner of this years 3100 mile race. He starts the day with just 95 miles more to go. A number, that for most of us, who are even fairly good runners would seem pretty intimidated, if not terrified by. Yet for Asprihanal it will be a mere victory lap.

He will not break any records. Measured up against all the other times he has run the race it just might even be his slowest race. He did however miss a full day of running due to illness. The true measure of his greatness however cannot ever be calculated by we who merely stand and gaze out from the sidelines. It is also almost impossible to even count up all the miles he has run all together in competition. The only thing which is certain, is that after he runs across the line here tomorrow he will have completed this race for the 10th time. Meaning that he has run 31,000 miles around this little block in Queens.

This slight gentle Finnish man is not one for facts and figures. He would not likely ever spout off his statistics or accomplishments even if he remembered them all. He is not a self promoter or one who needs fame or attention. Though certainly he has performed beyond the measure of most mortals in this world of ours, and could rightfully be declared a real and rightful hero. He simply has run so far and so often because he must. Not to please the media, not to please the record keepers, but to please the heart within him that has called him forth to come and run here again and again.

As he goes about his first few laps today he checks the sheet so see how his friends have done the previous day. He takes his time and reads each column and rejoices when the numbers are big and sounds a little sad when the numbers are small. They are his family. They will cluster by the line when he crosses and rejoice in his victory. In turn as each of them come home he will be there for them as well.

We don’t know for sure if he will return again and run here once more. 10 summers here in Queens is a lot of time and a lot of miles. In fact, if you added it all up together he may have spent more than a year of his life here running around and around this block. In about a week he will go back home to Finland where he will not have to ever worry about the heat and humidity. But I suspect there is a deep and soulful portion of himself that will always look upon this little hard endless path as his home as well.

In microscopic repetitive detail he has seen every molecular aspect and dimension of this block. But like the grand journey of life itself there is always the next corner to turn, and the next new discovery to be revealed. The ultimate goal of self-transcendence is never reached by those who sleep and wishfully think of doing. Perfection is only for those who do and those who allow themselves to become.

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