Diary of a Runner – Meditation and Letting Go
Today I set out on a seven mile run this morning in our beautiful city park. Most of the trail I run is on bodies of water – a mill pond, a river, a creek, and a canal. Today I was alone, not with my chatty daughter, so I enjoyed the scintillations of the water in a very gentle breeze, which stopped at times leading to a mirroring of the landscape. In the creek, a blue heron was fishing quietly, not something I see every day. As today was Independence Day, the park was crowded with runners, walkers, people walking dogs, and mountain bikers. Still, I run on some remote trails and can meditate thanks to rhythmic breathing and the cadence of my stride on the trail.
In meditation, you are supposed to let thoughts flow through your mind – in, then out. I am still practicing that. Today, the theme that kept on coming into my mind is “letting go.” It seems like such a simple concept. If something negative happens in my life, after processing it the best thing is to accept the lesson learned and to let it go. However, the pain lingers. The “what ifs” stream through my head. This is especially difficult in broken relationships and the finality of death; it is easy to bargain myself into an endless cycle. The Buddhists practice “letting go” as part of their spiritual journey and to avoid attachment. When you think of it, over-attachment to anything is bad and can often lead to addiction and result in unhappiness and sickness.
Letting go is the healthiest thing we can do for ourselves. Letting go allows us to focus on what we currently have in our lives. Letting go allows us to realize our mortality and lets us live our lives as precious gifts. Every morning I wake up alive, I have a new gift to enjoy and pay forward to those around me. In the act of meditation, letting go means letting the thoughts, the negative chatter that happens in our heads, the flashbacks leave their message and pass out of our minds, leaving serenity and peace behind. Practice letting go – and let the pain be replaced by serenity and peace.
