With all the messy stuff, no matter how messy it is, just start where you are -- not tomorrow, not later, not yesterday when you were feeling better -- but now. Start now, just as you are. -- Pema Chodron
Time to begin.
In graduate school I became familiar with several works dealing with what Jean Pierre de Caussade called the "sacrament of the present moment". The reality of where each of us are, the place, body, and circumstances we inhabit in this moment form and inform our paths in life. This is what we can shape. It's a reality both entirely ordinary and very special, made just for us, even when it is messy, less than ideal, and terrible.
This year I'm running my first marathon, and I'm scared.
In the past I've found that one of the best ways to cope with fear is to team up with someone else. So that's what I'm doing. I'm dedicating my running this year and teaming up with a fantastic local charity, Lazarus House, just a few blocks from my house. Lazarus House provides shelter, meals, and transitional support to people in my community who don't have a home. LH helps people no matter how messy their circumstances to start right where they are and begin again. They are a tremendous force for good in our community.
As I move along my path this year, I hope to share some of what I experience where I am, and hope it will inspire (or at least amuse) you. If it inspires you a good deal, I encourage you to reach out and team up with Lazarus House yourself by making a donation. If you do, let me know so I can give you a shout out, a spot on my marathon shirt, and (if you're local) a big hug.
Let us begin again, for up to now we have done nothing. -- Saint Francis of Assisi
Run on.
