Freedom Oozing from Every Pore…
The day dawned sparkly bright… I let myself out of the french windows onto the long lawn in front of Buxted Park hotel…A spectacular September morn; the dew was soft sharp cold on my feet… I padded round the back of the building, trotted slowly up the drive and into the country lanes, dappled in strobe like shafts of yellow translucent magic… The road was quiet and silent, ouchie underfoot, the tarmac quite bubbly…
Good training for my feet! I have learnt how to relax them when the road is ouchie and they settled in; I turned right and the surface became more smooth, winding its way deeply through the countryside, open fields and woodland my backdrop… I crossed over a stream, the light catching it as it gently trickled through the muddy bank that sloped to its edge… I ran on, navigating patches where there were fallen branches, acorns, mulchy leaves and mud; the way then clearing to a smooth grey stretch of ease…
I ran on, enjoying the solitude, the peace, the morning light, the freedom in my feet, and in my soul…
Last night we ate dinner in Uckfield. When we had finished, Anadi went to pay the bill at the bar and chatted awhile with the manager… As we left the restaurant I asked Anadi what he had been talking about… ‘He was asking about our lifestyle; he wanted to know what we do…’ Anadi went on to say what he had briefly told him, and that the manager had responded by saying… ‘I’m interested to know, because you are different to other people, you have freedom oozing out of every pore..’
I notice my inner changes more when I position myself in places I have been before; like Eastbourne. I love going back, I love seeing old friends, drinking coffee in the Grand, running on the downs, seeing the spectacular views, the sea, and the stones, the seven sisters standing magnificently white bright – I love this town…
But I can also see and feel how much I have changed… I see my difference more starkly mirrored back to me when I land on the spot I once was…
It is always important that when we think that places or people have changed, reflecting whether the changes are in truth our own… look first inside, and recognise that all change happens within us, and that even when another person appears to have changed, or has actually changed this will still be something to do with us….
Always remember when we are pointing a finger at another – in positive or negative way – that there is value in reflecting on the three fingers that point back to us… What in our observations of others is there energy that is reflecting or relating to us… These are the questions whose answers reveal the most… Warrant the most attention.
Always focus on our lessons, not those of others and remember – however hard this can be at times – that the way we are viewing the world, seeing all that is going on around us, is to do with us and the filter and the lens through which we are looking…
I drove from Buxted to Eastbourne again yesterday and spent a very happy day… Breakfasting, lunching and taking tea with friends… An extreme version of the ‘lady who lunches’!
My actual lunchtime was spent with Matt Shore, a big part of the tapestry of Eastbourne. He is a fabulous Personal trainer and we caught up for ‘cafe philosophique’ in his ‘second home’, Nelson coffee Co…
We made a vlog too; as the rain poured down outside…
I have been running all of my life – it feels I was born to run. In the running step I experienced freedom and my true expression. I came to see that I needed to ‘get out of the way of myself’ and let my energy flow through the running step; allow it to express itself in the dance and the motion of running. I ran for England and GB for some years. My first international was in 1979, a three mile cross country race; and I continued to run at international level until 1993. Two of my best results were first place in the Dublin City Marathon in 1985 and 7th place woman, 3rd British woman in the 1986 London Marathon in a time of 2.36.31, which gained me selection for the Commonwealth Games.
As a little girl I ran barefoot for many years, and then I put on shoes to race around the world. Fifty years later I am travelling the world as a nomad with my husband Anadi and I have taken off my shoes and I am running barefoot again….
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