I used to think that meditation was something you had to do laying in one position, while keeping absolutely still, you know the atypical Sivasna. But over the past 5-6 weeks what I have come to learn is that for me meditation is my alone time. My time when I leave everything around me behind and just get lost in the world. Which is what for me each of my runs has become. The longer they get the more time I can meditate and the more time I have to let things surface that I didn't even know existed and somehow mentally work through them.
It's some what crazy to believe that I could even have time to pay attention to thoughts racing through my mind as I run through massive groups of tourists all taking photos of things that have somewhat landed in my backyard. I myself seem to always do a bit of a run on the spot when I get to the middle of London Bridge and just stare out at what my life has become. It always seems to be that from that point, as I continue my run, the mental game begins. My future meets my past, which both then meet my fears about everything real life.
And while there seems to be about 0348239749879832 questions I could put out to all you people on the inter web, that I have about how this life thing works. I will focus on the one that has seemed to stick with me for the past week or so. ARE WE ALL AFRAID OF REALIZING OUR DREAMS?
Recently, I began re-reading The Alchemist, which most people know is my favourite book, because well I am just really into that profound life thinking stuff, in case you hadn't noticed. Anyhow in the book, there is a conversation that takes place between this crystal shop owner and a Shepard boy where they discuss realizing their dreams. It is in this conversation that the crystal shop owner says that he would rather not realize his dream but instead continue to wish for it, as that mere act of wishing and dreaming is what keeps him going.
So I'm not asking if we are afraid of realizing our potential and ability to realize our dreams, but I am asking if we are afraid to realize them, because once we do we are unsure of our ability to want more? or unsure what is next.
I'm old school, I hate E-Readers and tablet like things that take the place of a book, full of pages that smell of history, creativity and profoundness. So I highlight, scribble, fold and mark up the pages as I go along and it is this page in the Alchemist that is origami like folded, because I can't seem to get past it.
And I think, well at least what has come to me in my runs, is that I think I am staring a potential future in the face and thinking.....Is this really it? It was this easy after all this time? And now what? I am realizing that like the crystal shop owner, I could just be in love with the idea of having the dreams I have. They keep me hungry for life, adventure and everything in between. But at some point don't we just have to accept the fate we desired and move on to the next as Jay-Z would say?
I don't have the answer, but it is the source of what I am trying to mentally work through at the minute, so while I throw the thoughts and questions out to all you people on the inter web, please feel free to flood my inboxes with your thoughts, replies and answers of course.
But as I sign off, for hopefully a period that won't be as long as the last, I will leave you all with the video for my new favourite running tune (which seems to be quite telling) and the link to my running sponsor sight in case you electronic people out there feel like being generous by donating to my Gobi and the charities it sponsors.
Sponsor Link: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ArtiKashyap
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