6:17am: I’m up and out the door. It’s a beautiful morning for running. Wisps of cool air cutting through the early September humidity. Streaks of clouds cover the sunrise. A splash of color on a few trees getting a head start on autumn. It’s September 3rd. And a great day to be alive. (Hello September. Where did the year go? Love, LOVE, the fall season. The pulsating picture above feels like my heart does now. Ba Boom. Ba Boom. Ba Boom. Ba Boom. Keep tickin’ baby. Keep tickin’.)
6:23am: Pace is good. Both jets feel good. No one is out and about. Pesky squirrels are sleeping. Even the birds are quiet. (Yep, it’s just me and my head. And that can get crowded. Managed to contain the food intake yesterday. Miracle. Determined to get this weight down before the hibernation period. As Brenna would say, Thanksgiving is the time of the year “when I feel like I’ve eaten a gallon of mashed potatoes and a gravy-injected turkey and washed it down with six or seven espressos.”)
6:35am: Glance down at Garmin. I’m keeping pace with my last run. (Good. Not regressing on lap time. Spirits lift. Minds shifts to NY Times article from yesterday: In 1972, Hockey’s Cold War Boiled Over. Forty years ago yesterday, the titans of hockey clashed. I was in the 5th Grade. Fred Fillipoff (sp?), our teacher, brought in a TV to the classroom. Goosebumps return. Hockey is religion in Canada.
6:47am: I stop to get a drink of water. Walk a bit. A headwind picks up and is spitting warm rain. I can feel energy draining. (Mind chatter is sapping my strength. IT WAS 40 YEARS AGO. It’s no wonder I’m running out of gas – I’m getting freakin’ old. Can’t run as far. Can’t run as fast. Bones ache. Recovery time is longer. This chassis is feeling its age. Hope’s post flashes by: I Finished Last. Better get used to it Pal.
6:48am: I see a swan. Solitary. White as snow. Beautiful. Graceful. Peaceful. Majestic. (Mind flips to Katrina’s post @ Freedom to a Full Life: “…(when) you’re healing, you’re tired, sore, and feel off balance…there are many ways to ease this discomfort…Staring at or allowing yourself to look at beautiful things. Flowers, puppies and/or kittens. A roaring fire, snowfall, rainfall, sitting outside in the sun…” She’s so right.)
6:49am: I re-start my run. (Katrina’s back and chattering to me again…”Play music which makes you happy or calms you…Any of these which stir positive emotions will help if you allow yourself adequate time to really immerse into them…” I am now consciously listening to the music blaring through my ear phones. Good God. This is calming? This will stir positive emotions? Is it any wonder…)
AC-DC with “Hells Bells”
I’m rolling thunder, pouring rain
I’m comin’ on like a hurricane
My lightning’s flashing across the sky
You’re only young but you’re gonna die
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers with “Even the Losers”
Baby even the losers
Get lucky sometimes
Even the losers
Keep a little bit of pride
They get lucky sometimes
7:07am: I click through and find Nick Drake and Northern Sky and settle in for the home stretch. Wind is now at my back. Rain has stopped. (I feel my body calm. The mind chatter is easing. Just bring it home Dave. Finish this up.)
↓ click for audio (Nick Drake: Northern Sky)
[audio https://davidkanigan.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/08-northern-sky.mp3%5D
I never felt magic crazy as this
I never saw moons knew the meaning of the sea
I never held emotion in the palm of my hand
Or felt sweet breezes in the top of a tree
But now you’re here
Brighten my northern sky.
Flashbacks to youth. And back to today. Pushing. Pressing. Driving. Worry. Mind chatter. Headwinds. Soft rain. Turning. Turning. Turning. Bend it. Bend it your way. Katrina’s post. Hope’s post. The swan. Calming music. Tailwinds. No rain. Arriving at Peace. (Even if it is for a moment.)
It all started with Jung. [Didn’t everything? Deepak Chopra explains that Carl Jung coined a word to describe these moments of meaningful coincidence: synchronicity. A synchronicity is a coming together of seemingly unconnected events. If you focus your attention (“Intention”), you may recognize (“awareness”) that your life is shaped by those moments of meaningful coincidence (“synchronicity”). You may even be able to nurture and participate in those moments in a positive way.]
“YOU MAY EVEN BE ABLE TO NURTURE AND PARTICIPATE IN THOSE MOMENTS IN A POSITIVE WAY.”
Time Check: 45 seconds ahead of last run. Nap time.
Image Source: CrescentMoon via 20daysofjune
Related Posts: Running Series
Live & Learn 
Ah, will motivate me to do a run later today.
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Good. Glad to hear it.
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Next time I will remember to take my ipod with me :).
Loved your post David.
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Thank you. And your iPod will be playing the appropriate soothing music, right? 🙂
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You truly have a gift for writing, David. 🙂 I absolutely *love* when you do these posts, as I’m always anticipating what’s coming at the next ‘time check.’ Good for you for getting your run in early–‘labor’ is officially out of the way–now it’s relaxation time!! 🙂
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Thank you Lori. Coming from you that means a lot to me. As for relaxation, the run was followed by a deep 1 1/2 hour sleep (too long to be called a nap). Rested and ready to go. 🙂
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We are rather in “sync” today David. I also ran this morning. Music and introspection time are what makes running irresistible to me. Guess who I listened to for most of my run? Maria Mena. Thanks for bringing her to my attention in your post, So Sweet.
I also love Nick Drake.
I’m going to attempt to reblog this post. It embodies so much of what space2live stands for.
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Thanks Brenna. Maria Mena certainly is more soothing than AC-DC and Tom Petty. Good choice. Nick Drake, most of his stuff, is on a playlist. Love him. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and re-blogging. Dave
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Reblogged this on space2live and commented:
This post by David Kanigan embodies so many of the touchstones of space2live I had to repost.
Time to reflect
Paying attention to beauty/nature
Meaningful coincidences
Inner world riches
“If you focus your attention (“Intention”), you may recognize (“awareness”) that your life is shaped by those moments of meaningful coincidence (“synchronicity”). You may even be able to nurture and participate in those moments in a positive way.”
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Ah – that Hockey Game. Also in 5th grade – we were all hauled into the gym to watch. Correction – the girls were hauled into the gym – the boys sprinted there. I remember feeling the vital importance of us winning – it was so much more than a game.
On a different note – the music I listen to has a huge effect on how well I run. I’m always scrolling through as well to find something to get me up that hill, keep me slow, speed me up… Never, ever will AC-DC appear on my Playlist, though 🙂
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Yes, for us Canadians it was so much more. Believe the NY Times article mentioned that “The Game” was the 5th most important event in Canadian history. (However, they arrive at these rankings, I don’t know.) No AC-DC huh, well, I’m working you up the food chain. Ever so slowly. 🙂
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UP the food chain???
Digging my heels in on this one, Dave!
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Laughing. Figured that would get a rise out of you…
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September is beautiful. Thanks for the inspiring post.
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Last September / Early October – magic time of the year. Thanks Anneli.
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Love the post and how you made the leaves dance! I love fall too!
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Thank you. Yes, the creative mind who produced it did a terrific job. 🙂
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And may I ask, was it your mind?
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No. Afraid not. If you hit the picture, it will take you to the creator. I found it at http://crescentmoon06.tumblr.com/post/30749350366. I should have given both credit above. I will add. Thanks for the reminder.
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The picture reminds me of the song, “Autumn Leaves.”
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Yes, very much so.
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Great post. Mr. F…you got me really thinking back. Love the pulsating picture. Makes me miss the change of seaons as our September starts at Thanksgiving!!
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Yes, it goes way back. He was your teacher as well, right?
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Yes he was. Just remembered how many cigarettes he pounded away.
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Ahhh yes, how could I forget.
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Okay, sorry I’m in your head so much, but I blame Jung and Deepak, they have both inspired me over the years . . . lol,
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🙂 You are in my head in a good way! Thank you again.
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