“Life is not a sprint; It’s a marathon=Breathe”
I was driving on my way to work and saw this phrase surrounding someone’s license plate in front of me.
And it just reminded me of how I felt at the Thich Nhat Hanh walk…in LA. This was the third peace walk of this kind I’ve been to…the 2nd with Thich Nhat Hanh leading the hundreds that showed up at Macarthur Park on Saturday, September 29th, 2007.
Peace is every step website: http://www.peaceiseverystepla.org/
Why do I attend events like this…? I think to tap into a sacred part of myself and others. We’re so caught up in the madness: traffic, noise, disagreements, disappointments, the works…that walking in peace seems appealing to me…
The thing that is so hard to do…I’d like to learn more about=slowing down…
And in the past…I would have thought that walking sloooooowly was boring and something I’d avoid. But I realize that walking gently on the earth…is something precious. And with all the pain, hurtful words, actions that affect this earth…why not walk…in peace instead of in disregard or insignificance…?
The day was interesting…not fully like the first peace walk with Thich Nhat Hanh in October of 2005. Actually what happened was…I was so happy to see some friends that showed up to the walk from Be the Cause that I could hardly contain myself…
I was talking during the meditation in the beginning, I was talking a bit on the actual walking portion of event, and a friend and I were pulled to the side during part of the walk in our “peace is every step” hats and interviewed by a local tv station. Yikes..not sure how reverent I was…but I truly feel being in joy is the way as well…
So back to that phrase surrounding the license plate I saw….coming from a gal who used to sprint in many a race….life can be a marathon…in a good way. Walking in peace instead of in a rush…hmm…there’s something peaceful about that.
Basically, I’ve found out that there is a time to run and a time to walk. Thich Nhat Hanh would probably state…something about balance…
Here are some quotes by Thich Nhat H..otherwise known as “Thay.”
Every day we do things, we are things that have to do with peace. If we are aware of our life…, our way of looking at things, we will know how to make peace right in the moment, we are alive.
-Thich Nhat Hanh
Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos – the trees, the clouds, everything.
-Thich Nhat Hanh
Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.
-Thich Nhat Hanh