Bookmarks

People are like books, some are open, some are closed, some seem easy to read, some seem harder. Before you judge someone ask yourself: "Did I take time to read this book properly, or did I just skim through and skip a few pages here and there?"

A lesson from my training buddy

I love having a dog. "Giz" is a great mate, loyal companion and teacher of valuable lessons. I got him while I was in a relationship and I think me getting him was an act of Love to me from God and from an ex (as we split up a short time later). Having Giz motivated me to start walking, and now running. Running has been life-changing for me, and Giz is nearly always there, at my feet as I push myself to be true to me and give him the exercise he needs to stay healthy in every sense. I said "nearly always" because he sometimes lags a bit and I have to call him to get him to stay with me as we run along the beach together. He is usually well capable of keeping up our regular activity (5.4km flat sand run) and managed to stay with me for pretty much a full 10km last week; but not this morning. I don't know why but this morning he just would not stay with me. I let him off the lead as per usual and pretty much as soon as I started running he started lagging much more than usual. I tried using different tones of voice to call him with no success. For whatever reason he just would not respond. I got angry and frustrated, usually I would supress that but today I chose to allow myself to release that anger, "if you don't/can't/won't run with me well fuck you then" was my unspoken mentality. So I ran on leaving him behind. On the final leg back to the end he had started following a lady walking along the beach towards me. As much as I was driven to finish the run, I stopped, put him on the lead and ran on. An amazing thing happened, he ran whole-heartedly with me on the lead as I more gently encouraged him, normally he just drags ridiculously when you put the lead on. I let him off after about 10 seconds and he absolutely frolicked at my feet for the rest of the run! It is amazing the transformation that can occur in any relationship if you are willing to show a little loving discipline. Thanks Giz.

Feathers

I was walking along the beach today with a gusty breeze at my back. I glanced a beautiful, long, thin, brown feather as the wind blew it past me. For a second I was tempted to chase it but thought; "No, if you are meant to have that feather, it will stop and you can pick it up..." so I watched it be carried by the wind. Sometimes it stopped, I got closer to the feather and thought it was going to be mine, but then a gust blew it farther away. I watched that feather get blown farther and further away, not wanting to let go of the hope that it would stop and I would have it after all. Then I sneezed, lost sight of the feather and knew I would never hold that feather in my hand and appreciate its beauty up close. With a little sadness and disappointment I walked to the place where I meditate often on the beach, and at the seat where I sit, there seemed to be more feathers in that one little area than I had ever noticed on the beach before. I didn't notice if they were beautiful because I was still thinking about the feather that I lost. I couldn't face sitting there with all those feathers so I turned around and walked into the stiff breeze back along the beach towards home. I saw so many feathers on the way home, different colours, some big, some small, some beautiful and not a single one travelling with the wind. Then I saw one beautiful, long, thin, brown feather stuck in the sand. I cried, partially because it reminded me of the feather that I had lost, but mainly because I knew deep down in my heart, now is not the time for me to be picking up feathers.