sometimes words from others speak to me and i listen. if i find truth in what is said i feel that i should share this with others. it would be selffish to keep it to myself, right? so the other day as i was researching Native American culture, i came across this; a teaching by Tecumseh..."so live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. show respect to all people and grovel to none. when you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. if you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. abuse no one and nothing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirits of its vision. when it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. sing your death song and die like a hero going home."
so who is this Tecumseh, well here you go compliments of Wikipedia: Tecumseh (march 1768-october 5, 1813) was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy that opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812. he grew up in the Ohio country during the American Revolutionary War and the Northwest Indian War, where he was constantly exposed to warfare.
wouldn't it be nice if we could all live with such acceptance others and a love for what we have not for a desire for what we want. i printed out these words and posted them to my mirror, these beautiful words are posted beside my list of 25 things that make me happy, a note from my daughter, a picture of my very best friend shreddie and myself camping (we look horrible, but are having fun) and a note to myself....just in case you are wondering, it is a BIG mirror.
i woke up late this morning, still feeling terrible but couldn't stand the thought of staying inside another day. so i pulled my hair up in a ponytail (my hair is finally long enough to do that, yeah!), read the lists on the mirror and said morning to shreddie. i decided to go running. first of all, i am NOT a runner. i have absolutely no stamina, i can run for about a song and then i am toast, but i can walk with the best of them. so i headed over to the highschool track.
i stepped out of my car into a surprisingly warm winter morning, filled my lungs with air, fresh clean air and stretched a little. the actual track was all locked up, so i decided to run the perimeter of the track and building. as i started my run, i felt great my head was filled with the words of Tecumseh followed by the words of Laura Munson. the sun was out but you had to look hard through the clouds to see it.
i have been attempting to live in the moment these days. not dwell on what i want to be different, on the things that i want, enjoying the beauty that is all around me, finding joy in the little things. so as i took off running, armed with glorious words, i focused my attention on my body. how each breath filled my lungs, how my feet slapped the pavement, how my rear jiggles (oh how i hate that, but it is my truth), how tense and rigid i hold my upper body. so i quickly adjusted my upper body dropped my shoulders ungripped my hands, shook out my arms and repositioned them in a comfortable but loose position. i conciously took my breath and felt my lungs fill and deflate, felt the sting of the cool air come and go. placed my feet on the concrete gently instead of slamming them into the ground. phew the first lap is done, can i go home now? haha!! i am not a runner, but i do enjoy the challenge of running.
so i made it two miles, i had to walk some of the time, but hey that is alright with me. my purpose today was to absorb the words that were filling my head, move my body a little bit, and enjoy the great outdoors. i accomplished all those things. there is so much in this world to be inspired by; a warm winter day, a bird singing in a tree, teachings from a wise leader, words of wisdom shared from one woman to another...if we are paying attention we can be inspired every minute of everyday.
No comments:
Post a Comment