As I ran along the never disappointing and always breathtaking Ocean Drive coastal route this morning, I noticed every runner I passed was connected by headphones, cord swinging around. Although I have no idea what was being pumped in from the small devices attached to their bodies, my first reaction was that they were missing out somehow. I decided not to concern myself too much with their story. It was their run, not mine. Instead I used it as inspiration to go deeper into my own experience. It was my first long run since I raced Timberman 3 weeks ago. I felt really strong, sometimes challenged but totally connected to the task and my surroundings.
I followed up my run with a class at Newport Power Yoga and on the way home started to think about all of the beautiful moments I had on my run. All of these moments I don’t feel I would have been able to experience if I was plugged into my headphones, cord swinging around.
– the sun lighting the pussy willows by Gooseberry Cove
– the sounds of the critters running in the tall grass to my left
– the sound of the surf rolling into the beaches and lapping up against the rocks
– the breeze through the trees
– the life above me in the sky
– birds splashing their wings in the water
– the car that passed me during a pit stop
– the incredible presence I held when being cut off by the divine being in the Yukon XL
– the tap of my foot strike
– the rythymn of my breath
– the silence of my mantra
So this was my unique experience today, my story, my journey and my observation that distraction is too cheap and too easy these days. I believe you are far beyond the level of cheap distraction. There is a calm, quiet space waiting for you under the noise where miraculous healing is found. There is an incredible, wild, breathtaking world out there providing an symphony of sounds that far surpass anything I’ve experienced through a headphone. Go get some!
