Day 3 of my taper. On day one, in the morning I did a 40 minute normal porch workout (ex-bike and tm walk) plus weights. In the afternoon, I took apart my big desk in the living room, moved it piece by piece into the spare bedroom, and put it back together. This was so the bicycle could have a parking spot by the door. All that is currently in my living room is the bicycle, the weight bench and storage places for running shoes and clothing. On day 2 in the morning I did a 40 minute normal porch workout plus weights. In the afternoon, I started with 45 minutes of spiritual study. Then a weight workout and 20 minutes walking on the tm. At that time, it had stopped raining so I jogged 3 miles. Today, day 3, I did a 45 minute porch workout plus weights in the morning. In the afternoon, I started with 30 minutes of spiritual study, and then needed a quick nap. After 18 minutes, I leapt up and put on my hiking boots and went for a 90 minute hike.
Now, things got interesting! I was repeating to myself my lesson for today: Love is the way I walk in gratitude. I have no idea what love is or really what gratitude is. Grateful for what? That I have money and a place to live and my health while others are tortured and starving? No! If God is love, He wouldn’t give some starvation and brutality; and I won't thank Him for material comfort (since it didn't come from Him either).
As I walked however, I realized that it doesn’t matter how shallowly I understand this lesson. Since I was keeping my mind on this thought and not allowing it to roam around into resentment and fear, I was in fact defeating my ego in favor of the Holy Spirit’s thought system. And that is all A Course in Miracles is for: returning the mind to God.
As I walked more, I thought about how really good these hikes were on a physical level for training for ultramarathons. As I thought about the place of hiking in my tapering scheme, I thought how I need deep healing in preparation for my next big running event. But deep healing occurs in the mind, and the body takes care of itself. And all that is needed for deep healing of the mind is to bring all resentment and fear, no matter how small, to Jesus; and maintain mental discipline. Mental discipline is renouncing the ego’s hatred, fear and illusion for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. I need to go deeper, farther in to my own being with the light of Jesus; and find there, not darkness, but LIGHT.
One way to rejuvenate physically is to habitually under eat, and consistently eat the same way every day. It’s the same with mental health: habitually limit the thoughts to the few the Holy Spirit selects as healing, and consistently think the same way every day.
In the park, I added up frog calls I hear at various times during the day. The sounds of pre-dawn, afternoon and early evening are different. Today, I saw my first butterfly, a little orange-winged job with black spots. Outside right now, I am listening to the first cricket I’ve heard this year.
I rode my bicycle to work after lunch and will probably use it all day tomorrow. I feel so much better after a brief ride than a car ride. I’m convinced that cars degrade our holiness in some insidious way.
Tomorrow morning, I hope for an early morning run.
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