Video of the first month in USA

Seattle has been a splendid experience for us all. Silence-Heart-Nest treated us to delicious food and everybody was extremely kind and self-giving. I had a nice time running with our friend and chef from the restaurant, Jitavrata, and with 12 year old Joey, Arpan’s nephew, who is becoming quite a long distance runner at his young age. I also took a personal challenge of jumping into Lake Washington from the 40 foot bridge yesterday. It was quite exhilarating, to say the least.

Running through the area east of Seattle was fantastic and scenic and the people were very enthusiastic about our run. I was greeted with many honks from cars passing by. One of the people I met, Steve, is a police officer who pulled over and took some photos and then offered to e-mail them to me. Then I met Chris who works as a security guard at a school in Monroe.

Next, I met 5 young people all with names that started with ‘J’ and their mother told me they had just come from Disneyland. Then we met a woman from the newspaper who was new to town and stopped to take some photos. I could go on because there were just so many people out today supporting us and it feels fantastic to get such an enthusiastic response.

Today was also quite unusual and very special because we had so many new people running, myself included. Pathik, Pujari, Ethan, Jitavrata, Vladmir, Julian, Erik, Dima, Daulot, Nandita, Pipasa, and more. It was a true experience of oneness.

We had a nice break at Deception Falls where there was a refreshing and powerful stream of a snow melt river flowing. The cool breeze and spray coming off the mountain stream was absolutely delicious. It was a welcome and sorely needed treat after our hot run.

Later we stopped by a swimming area downstream and took a plunge. To say the water was cold is an understatement. It was downright frigid. It actually hurt to swim in it but it was a wonderful therapy for the body. Here again we met some nice people appreciating our work for harmony.

Eric

After Eric’s team finished their miles, other teams continued on our 99 mile journey for the day to Leavenworth. Some of the runners from Daulot’s team ran up Steven’s Pass to over 4,000 feet in elevation.

We had been climbing steadily since being at sea level in Seattle. Steven’s pass was the pinnacle of our run through the Cascade Mountains, a beautiful and rough range of the Rocky Mountains. My team ran to Leavenworth at the feet of some of the smaller ranges and the confluence of two rivers, the Wenatchee and the Icicle. This area was a very important and sacred meeting place of some of the local Native American tribes many centuries ago.

Running to Leavenworth, a beautifully designed town with a Bavarian theme, would not be the same if it was not for Allen and Rose Retasket, their son Allen, Jr. and his sister Shelly as well as other members of their extended family.

They always welcome us with open arms and big and generous hearts when we reach Leavenworth even though they live in Wenatchee, 25 miles away.

Allen and his son Allen, Jr. and wife Rose came out to greet us even before we entered the town of Leavenworth. Both Allen ran a few miles with us as we carried the Torch to the park in the main part of town. There to greet us were some friends and relatives of the Retasket family and some other local citizens as well.

After some brief introduction, both father and son gave us a beautiful, powerful and artistic display of some Native American dancing. They wore full, colorful, regalia which added greatly to the beauty and rhythm of their dancing.

Allen jr. had just come from a big statewide contest for Native American dancing and he took first place.

Their very dynamic and beautiful performance of a Native Grass Dance which was complimented by Cascadia and Katrina, cousins of Allen, was a deeply moving and significant experience for us all. We had a brief ceremony on the lawn following this impressive performance and then greeted all the locals who had come to find out what we were up to.

We met Harriet Bullet, a local entrepreneur who offered us her blessingful prayers and goodwill. She was a very kind hopeful person. She also arranged for some great food to be made for us.

She had the Sleeping Lady Retreat along with Cascadia and Tierra Learning Center prepare us food for everyone. It was a great way to end this long, hilly and hot day of running.

We wish to extend our warmest and deepest gratitude to the Retasket family as well as their cousins, Cascadia and Katrina, who were supporting dancers and chefs as well. Their kindness and selfless offering really touched our hearts deeply.

We ended the day at the local KOA Campground with three spacious and modern cabins offered to us. We are very grateful for this important and extremely generous offering by Carolyn, the general manager.

Arpan and the rest of the team

Coming home!!

As many Harmony Runners say who go through the same experience: Leaving the Run to go back home means realizing how precious, secretly uplifting and wholeheartedly fulfilling it is to touch the world with a flaming torch for the cause of harmony.

The importance of finding something in someone’s life that gives you that sweet feeling of satisfaction and joy one can only experience by having it and maybe loosing it for some time again.

Loosing it to value the significance to go back to that very fulfilling task. It can be anything in this world that gives one real fulfillment and glowing happiness. Anything that makes one see the positive progress in the world and in oneself.

It might not even be the same task with the same outer circumstances, but it will always keep its essence. The essence that makes one recognize it over and over again no matter which `face` it may ever come with.

Deepest gratitude and utmost happiness to Sri Chinmoy , whose inspiration and never ending hope called the Harmony Run into life all over the world.

The World Harmony Run reaches and inspires many many people to participate and run in harmony and for harmony in this world of ours. Without the inspiration that radiates from people who seem to be some steps ahead of oneself, progress on this earth and in ones own life would be a harder goal to achieve.

Saying goodbye to the Run by letting all the experiences run through again, makes it a little easier and harder at the same time. Easier because the essence will last forever and harder because one gets addicted to it!!

Anja

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