July 11, 2017 I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR

Maybe it wasn't such a great idea after all?!?   RUN to the SAILFEST 5K--RUN THE RACE--then RUN home. Who Knows??  Put it this way--it DIDN'T help my time at all.  Came in 5TH THIS YEAR in my age group--the elusive 3rd place--out of reach YET again. At least it was by more than  ONE SECOND this year--I was a WHOLE minute slower-- GUESS I didn't run that first mile fast enough.  The 5k is tough because you have to run the WHOLE race FAST--it's a very different mindset.  I'm used to pacing myself for the long haul--our actual goal was to get in 9 miles--hence the mind set.  NEEDED TO RUN THE ACTUAL RACE PART OF OUR LONG RUN A BIT FASTER. Oh well-- IT'S ALL GOOD. My  comrade had a great race this year--the extra running didn't phase her in the least. Happy for her--she placed 6th!  She has been training harder this year--and it's really paid off. Congrats! Just keeping it all in perspective--happy to be out there--ready to face the next challenge. Onward ho!! The quest continues for glory! Not sure if you've ever heard of Siddhartha--but he went on a journey too--for spiritual enlightenment in Herman Hesse's MEGGA famous novel  written in 1922 of the same name.

Hesse, a well-known writer who focused on the search for self-knowledge and spiritually, actually won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946 for his efforts. His name also appears on the "Best selling authors of all times list"--selling  over 100 million copies worldwide. Originally written in German, Siddhartha gained popularity in the United States after it was translated into English in the 1960s.  Set in India, this is the story of a young man named Siddhartha who leaves his family to go on a spiritual quest with his best friend Govinda. Along the way, the duo give up all of their earthly possessions and join the Shramanas as wandering  ascetic beggars. Siddhartha and Govinda later leave these religious to seek out Buddha. They eventually find Buddha and spend time listening to his teachings, but Siddhartha feels restless for more. Leaving Govinda with Buddha, Siddhartha abandons his quest and starts to live a life of pleasure, greed and materialism. After several years, Siddhartha realizes that this lifestyle leaves him feeling empty and worthless so he decides to return to his original quest--finding spirituality and the elusive sacred sound OM. Find out if Siddhartha is finally successful by the end of his life when you read this inspiring, timeless tale  of about 150 pages. This book will really make you think about your own life and question your own journey. I often wonder if we can only find OM by making mistakes in life and gaining wisdom. I don't know--it's just a thought. Anyways, this MUST read is seriously only a 3 mile run that is well worth the journey.