Glowbug
Wednesday evenings are always hectic with me racing home from work to go running and then racing from running to go meditate. Sometimes after work I feel like doing neither and curling up on the couch, but when I force myself to just go and do those things, like tonight, I find myself absolutely glowing late in the evening. It further convinces me that I'm spending my time well.
Today was my hill training night and I decided to just go on my own instead of joining the Running Room group that I normally train with. Daniel was home when I was about to leave and asked if I'd mind him joining me. The two of us headed out to Cloverdale Hill with the blazing sun on our backs and ran up and down it repeatedly. He is in incredible shape so he hardly even seemed to be breathing hard at the top of the hill, while I can only dream of being that fit. I don't feel too bad because he is considering applying to the police (either in Switzerland or here) and is following a pretty regimented fitness routine.
He is turning out to be a better roommate than I could have even imagined. He isn't tolerated in my place, he's become a welcome addition -- someone I look forward to talking to when I turn my key in the door.
After the meditation sit we were shown a documentary about how Vipassana has been used to completely revamp the prison system in India. It was astounding to see the changes in the prisoners before and after. The film didn't just show Indian prisoners, it showed several foreigners who have been imprisoned for a number of years. As you can imagine, the Indian justice system is quite different from North America. One of the men profiled in the film was a young man in his mid-to-late twenties from Australia who was caught in India with some hash. He still hadn't stood trial but had been in prison for about 4 years! His case could come up in a month or it could take several more years before it is even heard. Keep in mind he hadn't been convicted of anything, just accused. Imagine being in that situation. At first, he was bitter and angry and devastated by the circumstances but the practice of Vipassana has helped him accept things and has given him a completely new outlook on life. It was a really powerful demonstration of mind over matter. If any of you are interested in seeing this documentary, I have a copy that I'd be happy to show you...just ask : )
Today was my hill training night and I decided to just go on my own instead of joining the Running Room group that I normally train with. Daniel was home when I was about to leave and asked if I'd mind him joining me. The two of us headed out to Cloverdale Hill with the blazing sun on our backs and ran up and down it repeatedly. He is in incredible shape so he hardly even seemed to be breathing hard at the top of the hill, while I can only dream of being that fit. I don't feel too bad because he is considering applying to the police (either in Switzerland or here) and is following a pretty regimented fitness routine.
He is turning out to be a better roommate than I could have even imagined. He isn't tolerated in my place, he's become a welcome addition -- someone I look forward to talking to when I turn my key in the door.
After the meditation sit we were shown a documentary about how Vipassana has been used to completely revamp the prison system in India. It was astounding to see the changes in the prisoners before and after. The film didn't just show Indian prisoners, it showed several foreigners who have been imprisoned for a number of years. As you can imagine, the Indian justice system is quite different from North America. One of the men profiled in the film was a young man in his mid-to-late twenties from Australia who was caught in India with some hash. He still hadn't stood trial but had been in prison for about 4 years! His case could come up in a month or it could take several more years before it is even heard. Keep in mind he hadn't been convicted of anything, just accused. Imagine being in that situation. At first, he was bitter and angry and devastated by the circumstances but the practice of Vipassana has helped him accept things and has given him a completely new outlook on life. It was a really powerful demonstration of mind over matter. If any of you are interested in seeing this documentary, I have a copy that I'd be happy to show you...just ask : )
posted by Leah at
12:52 a.m.
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