Running

After a long day of bringing various students to LEDEG (Ladakh Ecological Development Energy Group), the Snow Leopard Conservancy and Ladakh’s Woman Alliance Group so they could conduct interviews on their topics, I decided to go on a run. I spent the morning reading a book my dad gave me for Christmas called “The way to Practice a Meaningful Life” on the stone steps in the sun outside the LEDEG building while I was waiting for one of the students. I had tried reading it before I left for India but all of the words about compassion, mindfulness, attachment, ect seemed like a load of philosophical bologni at the time. From learning about Buddhism on my own through teaching my unit on Buddhism and Ecology as well as living among Buddhist people and their culture every day, I’ve come to realize that these concepts are what really bind us together in the world. Anyways, I’ve been reading a lot about mindfulness and concentration in which Buddhists turn to meditation for. I’ve tried meditating on my own and it simply just doesn’t work for me. My thoughts become a chain reaction for one another and I end up thinking about either what my stomach is craving for or about what tomorrow’s day will hold. This is why I decided to go on a run. To see if running, a hobby I have never in my life enjoyed, would do the trick. I honestly cannot even remember the last time I went on a run. I remember running up Avenger Drive with my friend Laura during soccer practices in high school. We intentionally would run behind everyone so we could pretend to stop and tie our shoes when really we hid behind a tree until the whole team ran up and came back down!

It was 4:30 in the afternoon. I put on my trail running shoes, a wind breaker and set my ipod to my “chill” playlist. As I started out on the dusty road that was just finished last week, I noticed a beautiful bird that resembled that of an American blue jay. He was perched on the giantic crumbling stupa near SECMOL. His wings deep blue with a jet black head and white lined tail took flight as I began to run towards him. He followed me overhead for about a minute before he disappeared behind me. When running in the, past I’ve always just concentrated on how much time I had been running but today I found myself completely fixed on what was around me. Besides my aching tooth and the thumping on my chest from the giant turquoise stone hanging from my neck I was enjoying this.

As I ran, I could see the Indus deep beyond the cliff to my right and mounds of rolling sand dunes to my left. I noticed the receding snowline of the mountains to above – a clear indication of how long I’ve really been here in Ladakh. I came upon a monastery for young monks and could see them playing cricket in a field. A group of them looked up and gleefully jumped and waved as I ran by. I found myself running in between stone walls topped with seabuck thorn so as to keep the cattle in their fields on either side of me. Two donkeys stood ahead of me and I wondered whether or not they would move aside. As soon as I ran closer they slowly moved aside at their leisure letting me pass.

As I approached a home I could see an old woman pumping water next to the road in front of me. She was carrying a baby in a sheet tied around her shoulders. When she saw me she smiled, stopped pumping water, placed her right hand up to her forhead in a praying position, bowed slightly and greeted me with “Jullay.” I responded by doing the same for her. I’ve noticed people here always are so kind and welcoming. When I was reading outside on the steps of LEDEG this morning, a woman brought me warm tea and a pillow to sit on. And old people, such as this woman, don’t just grow old and end up sitting alone staring out of some elderly home’s window. They participate in an active loving life until the day they die. They are important and valued by the younger generations for their wisdom. And because there is no hurry in life here in Ladakh, their slower way of doing things isn’t a problem. During one homestay I witnessed a woman in her eighties climbing a steep ladder onto her roof-my heart jumped!

Passing by the lady and her grandchild, I then began to approach a giant yak, his body shining black with a bright white stripe running from his nose down to his tail. His dominating body stayed grounded and didn’t budge as I ran closer. It was as if my presence didn’t phase him in the slightest. His soft deep brown eyes followed me as I jogged around him.

I could see the Tibetan prayer flag covered Phey bridge in the distance – I couldn’t believe how long I had been running! Stonewall workers were sitting outside their white tents on the side of the road drinking tea when I arrived at the Phey bridge. I stretched while taking note of my deep breathing when my ipod stopped working and wondered how much more difficult I would find running back without Bob Marley’s lyrics pushing me forward. I could see little school children with their royal blue uniforms holding hands walking towards their home. I had no idea as to the extent of time I had been running but I know it was longer than I thought I was capable of. I think last week’s 10 hour hike might have had something to do with it! On my way back the wind began to blow against my direction. It reminded me of a time I went on a long afternoon bike ride with my friend, Pier, out into the middle of the causeway of Lake Champlain. When we arrived towards the end of the old causeway, we realized the way back was going to be ten times more difficult because of the aggressive winds.

Three woman with their hands resting on their head, dressed in bright colored Indian dresses moved towards me and I wondered if they were doing some kind of exercise. As I ran passed them I decided I would wait ten seconds before turning around to see their beautiful dresses once again. As I turned around I could see that they were carrying huge jugs of water tied to a rope that rested on their heads. In that moment I thought of something I had read in Bill Eddy’s book last night-that being in a different environment allows for you to see your own environment in a completely different respect. In this case, I’ve been able to see my own life in a totally different light. I was actually enjoying the present moment even though I was exerting my body to a point I usually wouldn’t feel comfortable with. The way these people go about their daily lives seems so normal to them because it’s all they know. But for us, we have been trained to see their way of living as impoverished, inconvenient and “backwards”. Rather I see them as living without dependence on material things, creating strong bonds between people and the nature of which they rely on. This in turn has created an inner happiness, which has allowed these people to live in peaceful happiness under circumstances that are harsh. This life is all they know and I think it’s given them greater peace of mind than people back home. My run ended when I could see SECMOL in the distance. I began walking and finally came to the white sputa. The beautiful bird was still there, perched in my direction. As I moved closer to the stupa he flew away, dancing in the sky and then vanishing into the mountains behind SECMOL.