The Magic of Journeying
Thursday
I arrived at Victoria, early before 7.30 am – it was quiet; I was going the other way to the people who would be arriving soon…
I was heading out of London, out of the town into the country, down to the seaside…
I texted my friend Rob to let him know I was on the 7.47 – and at just after 9.15 there he was waiting for me at Eastbourne station and we made our way, chatting animatedly all the way, to his office at the university.
At 10 am Jim joined us and after catching up and chatting some more for awhile we all headed out onto the downs, as we have always done…
Yesterday morning I was running around Trent Park with Anadi in London and it felt a bit like time travel, here I was back on familiar ground with my friends, who I have circled the downs with for years and years and years.
We had lunch too… A delicious relaxed laughter filled lunch in Rob’s beautiful kitchen looking out of big french windows where we suddenly saw two woodpeckers on the lawn…
This is the message they brought us…
Woodpecker has come knocking…
It is time to really pay attention because opportunity has come knocking along with the woodpecker. It is signalling you that great changes are happening in your life and it is up to you to seize the moment. Whether it is the renewal of an old project, the finishing of a new project or simply a serendipitous meeting with someone in your life. Whatever way you perceive it know that the door is wide open for you right now and that success is yours for the asking.
I like this message, and I will take heed!
Friday
The day dawned sunny, with bright light Spring in the air…
I could hear the familiar sound of seagulls squawking… I drew back the curtains in my hotel room and watched as they they looped the loop.
At 7.20 am I jogged down to the Congress Theatre where Fi and I always used to meet when I lived here… Soon she came around the corner and I went running with Fi, like I have many times before – all along the seafront, and we ran like we had just met last week…
I love coming back to these beautiful downs, but more than that I love coming back to my friends.
I was staying at the DaVinci hotel and was given a lovely room to work in, spacious and still and all day long I saw my clients, and did what I do and I was very happy there…
Saturday
I am back in London with Anadi, it feels like I have had a mini break on the Sunshine Coast…
I journeyed back by train and was thrust from the seaside air, suddenly into London bridge station – right slap bang in the middle of London.
I love the magic of journeying,
This morning I was running on the downs with Tim and his little spaniel Poppy – and just twelve hours later if is like my whole life has changed…
Tim and I had arranged to meet at the cafe by St Bede’s school at 8am… There he was, and we set off around the hollow into a brisk grey day swirling wind, that whipped around and the sea beside us was blue grey with the waves white and frothy and up the hill we ran…
The miles passed with ease as we talked about attachment and love and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and education… But the main news of our run is that Poppy’s ‘crossing the road very obediently’ trick is much improved…
She had responded well to Tim’s persistent training….
I noticed a huge difference from just 6 weeks ago when we last ran together.
Demonstrating that…
Everything can be achieved with practice…!
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.
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