Bagpiper at RI Scottish Festival

Last weekend I went for the first time ever to a local Scottish Festival . It was held at the Washington County State Fairgrounds in Richmond, Rhode Island and was sponsored by the Scottish Heritage Society. Between listening to the entertainers such as the awesome local Celtic band Pendragon or hearing the bagpipes and seeing my first Scottish Highland Cattle from a farm right here in Rhode Island, Beaverhead Farm; the whole experience was a delightful and unexpected adventure.

Who knew that you could experience Scotland to the hilt - or should I say kilt! - right here in Rhode Island. The only time I visited Scotland was 24 years ago and I loved it so this was a fun chance to experience a taste of Scottish culture right here at home. I do even have Scottish heritage going way back on one side of my ancestors but truthfully I am more German and Czech than Scottish.

The highlight of the festival was getting to see a long performance by the band Pendragon. Here is a clip of Kevin Doyle doing traditional Irish stepdancing with Pendragon along with some other highlights of the festival.
Guid cheerio the nou!

Suprabha's Running Feet - Photo by Sharani

Last night I watched a fantastically inspiring documentary about one of my all-time heroes, a record-breaking multi-day runner named Suprabha Beckjord. A gift shop owner from Washington, DC, she has run in the Self-Transcendence 3100 mile race every summer for the last 12 years and is:

• *the only person to finish the race every year it has been held.
• *the only woman to ever compete in the race.
• *the only American to run the race in a field of 14 people from around the world last year in 2008.

This monumental race held over a 51 day period in Queens, New York is the longest certified road race in the world and is hosted by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team.

The Spirit of a Runner is a documentary about Suprabha’s ultra-running career - especially her years of participation in the 3100. The film also offers a window into the race itself and the inspiration from the Marathon Team’s founder Sri Chinmoy.

This film by Jessie Beers-Altman, a student at the Boston University College of Communication, won third prize in one of the divisions of the Redstone Film Festival in 2009. Here is a trailer to the film on YouTube:

I was so inspired by this film that it brought me to tears while watching it. The next morning I woke up full of enthusiasm for life in general and for being a part of the Sri Chinmoy Centre in particular. It translated into a marathon-length (for me!) session of meditation where our centre gathers in Queens, New York. I meditated at home starting at 5 am then continued at the outdoor meditation area we call Aspiration-Ground from 6 to 9 am. The meditative morning brought a harvest of joy, gratitude and peace. Now some might say why didn’t the film inspire me to get up early and go running instead of to sit and meditate? I can only answer - good point! Maybe tomorrow it will energize my athletic activities instead of my meditation.

Related: Photos I took of Suprabha on the race course during the 2007 3100 Mile Race.

That cramped schedule ended up leading to a delightful discovery. I walked towards Veteran’s Memorial Parkway, a roadway alongside a bike path, a short distance from my house. Since cars go zooming by on the Parkway, I don’t typically think of walking towards and beyond that road.

Today, however, I found myself coming out to the parkway from a street that showed a little park with picnic tables, grills, etc. directly on the other side. I glanced at my watch and decided that I had enough time to go exploring.

A little brook with a wooden bridge over it beckoned and a small pond past that had an abundance of frogs inside it. Just past the pond, a trail led into some woods and off I went. I wondered if this woods eventually led to the East Bay Bike Path since I sometimes walked in the woods adjacent to that path.

I came upon another little stream with a log over it for crossing and just then a woman and her two cute dogs came from that direction. I asked her about this woods and she said she thought it was Squantum Woods State Park along with some of the Exxon Mobil woods land that they have near where the ships unload oil.

Satisfied to know what I had discovered, I turned back for home and a mere fifteen minutes later was back at my house to shower and dress for work.

I marveled to find somewhere new to explore so close to my house, in a short window of time carved out before going in on a late shift day of work. I also felt a little embarrassed that I have lived here for 10 1/2 years and never noticed Squantum Woods before. It served as an important reminder that beauty and divinity are often right under our nose. We only have to open our hearts to see it and remember that with a spirit of intention we can always carve out time for what we value.

Here is a poem I wrote recently for Panorama, an anthology of poetry written by students of Sri Chinmoy. Its theme resonates with my experience of carving out time to walk that morning and find something new.

Divinecarving

Carve out time
from the Sun’s
fleeting face.
Carve your place
at the table
of grace.
Carve a map
your spiritual
life can trace.
Carve
G
O
D
in your heart’s
deep embrace.

-Sharani

I went back to Squantum Woods with a camera on my next day off of work a few days later. I measured that it is a mere half mile from my house and I did follow it out to the bike path. It comes out near the Squantum Association Private Club and offers a view from the opposite side of a small cove that I have photographed a gazillion times from the opposite side. Here is a slideshow of a few of the photos I took at Squantum Woods:

Bald Eagle in a tree in West Seattle - pix by me

I was recently in Seattle visiting friends and I enjoyed being a tourist for a few days. Highlights included when I saw a Bald Eagle up in a tree while out walking in West Seattle along Alki Point.

I also enjoyed getting a lesson in intertidal ecology from my friend Sarah as we walked on the beach near her house. Here are some sea anemones which will gobble up small crabs if you drop them in. Yum!

Sea Anemones on Beach at Alki Point - pix by me

A trip to downtown Seattle wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Pike Place Market. We sampled chocolate covered cherries and fresh curds at a cheese making shop - making us feel like Little Bo Peep. I bought lavender which I can smell right now as I write this post. There is an abundance of lavender farms around Seattle apparently.

Of course, we rode a ferry - in this case a water taxi over to downtown Seattle across Elliot Bay. We saw Mt. Rainier in the distance and the skyline with the Space Needle.

Flowers in the Market - pix by me

Pike Place Market - pix by me

Me on the Water Taxi across Elliot Bay

Seattle has so much to offer a visitor - mountains, the sea, varied natural beauty, fun sightseeing. Yet the highlight of my entire trip was a concert by Songs of the Soul, an international ensemble of gifted musicians performing a musical tribute to the Maestro Sri Chinmoy - himself a prolific composer and soulful musician. He gave over 700 concerts during his lifetime at impressive venues across the globe.

The Songs of the Soul concert tour has toured in Europe last Fall, Bali in February 2009 and most recently in New York City prior to this Seattle Concert held on April 20th at the Benaroya Hall. Benaroya Hall is an acoustical gem and holds slightly more than 500 people. The Seattle Symphony performs there.

Mandu with the giant harp

The Songs of the Soul concert was very well-received. The hall was filled to capacity and people had to be turned away. One performance featured the largest harp I have ever seen. It truly felt like angels were descending to Earth during the performance with this harp. Next to me sat a little boy on his mother’s lap and he said out loud during the harp, “I feel tired” and curled up against his mother’s chest. The harp was so soothing it was putting him to sleep like a lullaby.

Other pieces were dynamic and jazzy. Shambhu on guitar and Premik on flute and saxophone had my feet tapping and my heart soaring.

The grand finale was a large instrumental ensemble with a small choir called “Gandharva Loka” which received a standing ovation. At certain moments during their alternatively jazzy/New Age or symphonic-style arrangements, I felt as if I was listening to Gershwin or Copland. However, all the performances were compositions by Maestro Sri Chinmoy arranged for the ensemble of musicians from around the globe. Here is some video footage of Gandharva Loka performing as part of a Songs of the Soul Concert held in New York about a year ago. Enjoy!
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On Tuesday, April 14th in New York,  he set a record for recitation of a poem written by Sri Chinmoy that was translated and read out in 111 languages. He was joined in this record by students of  meditation teacher Sri Chinmoy, themselves  from around the world, gathered in Queens, New York for a spiritual retreat. The record-breaking poem recitation took place at City Hall Park in Manhattan. Attired in sashes that displayed their language to recite, participants read the poem in 111 languages - some of which were completely unfamiliar - like Picard or Dzongkha. The previous record for multiple language recitation involved 79 different languages.

The Poem “Precious” by Sri Chinmoy from his classic book of poems entitled My Flute reads:

Precious beyond measure is God’s Will,
None can undo its Power.
Precious beyond measure are man’s tears.
They alone can hug God’s Hour.

Precious beyond measure is man’s love,
Unveiling his golden face.
Precious beyond measure is God’s Gift:
His all-fulfilling Grace.
-Sri Chinmoy

Why is this poetry recitation record like a home run with bases loaded? By setting this latest record, he also reached the pinnacle goal of 100 Guinness World Records held simultaneously. Through the years he has achieved well over 100 records, but some of the categories have been subsequently broken by someone else. Reaching this record on April 14th catapulted him into a new realm - the first person in the world to hold 100 simultaneous, active and current Guinness World Records. Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday, attended the event and commended him for his extraordinary footing in the world of Guinness.

Did you know that Ashrita’s world record breaking abilities warrant an entire chapter in a book written about the history of the Guinness Records phenomenon around the world?   Getting into Guinness : One Man’s Longest, Fastest, Highest Journey Inside the World’s Most Famous Record Book by Larry Olmsted provides an in-depth look at Ashrita’s record-breaking activities in its opening chapter - “Meet Ashrita, Record Breaker for God.”

Read more about the record in this post at the blog InspiringNews.org and in the New York Daily News. Watch a short video of Ashrita’s poetry record at the website of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Free Compliments Found Here

Sometimes the simplest gestures are the most powerful.

Picture two college students at Purdue University deciding to embark on a personal mission to brighten the day of passers-by on their college campus every Wednesday - rain or shine - for 2 hours from 12:30-2:30.

The sophomores, Cameron Brown and Brett Westcott, stand outside on campus holding a sign that says “Free Compliments” and offer spontaneous compliments to each person who passes them.

The compliments are often as simple as commenting on someone’s clothes, backpack, smile or even their shoes.  Calling themselves the “mailmen of compliments”, they cheerfully offer goodwill and compliments without missing a Wednesday, regardless of the weather, for eight months in a row.

Their motivation has no strings attached. It is not a psychology experiment and they are not affiliated with any organization or group. They simply wish to brighten the days of those who pass by, acknowledging that the tough economic times have dampened spirits and enthusiasm. If they can spread their own  positive energy, they feel that they have reached their goal.

The charming sincerity of their efforts has generated positive reaction on campus and the news media has begun spreading their story beyond the reach of the campus or the environs of West Lafayette, Indiana.  I live in Rhode Island and saw an article about them in the daily newspaper the Providence Journal. They have been written about in the Chicago Tribune, can be seen on Youtube and recently were on Good Morning America, bringing their act to Times Square.

Watch Free Compliment Guys go to New York City at the ABC News Website.

How has it affected me? Yesterday I found myself thinking of them and trying harder to be friendly and kind while working with the public at the public library where I am employed.

I’m rather taken with the idea of random acts of kindness and my personal spin on this approach contains underpinnings found in the philosophy of my meditation teacher Sri Chinmoy. Sri Chinmoy’s life was a continuing example of seeking to see the best in people, encouraging them to believe in themselves and emphasizing the positive. I end with a quote from a book of his writings called “A Heart-Offering Life”:

Inside a self-giving purity-heart,
I see always a thousand smiles shining brightly. -Sri Chinmoy

Keep up the good work Cameron and Brett! You certainly are helping to create “a thousand smiles shining brightly.”

I have been seeing information about Earth Hour 2009 at work today in both expected and unexpected places. When I saw it on Google, I must confess I disregarded following the link. When I also saw the link on Ingram, our book jobber for the library where I work, I finally decided to find out more about it.  Just in time for participating too! I visited the U.S. part of the organization’s website, Earthourus.org to sign up as a participant.

Tonight from 8:30 to 9:30 pm individuals and businesses are turning off the lights for one hour to offer a symbolic statement of unity in favor of energy conservation and climate change awareness. It is sponsored mainly by the World Wildlife Fund and started three years ago in Sydney, Australia before it expanded to a global scale.

It is a worldwide effort which will be observed at 8:30 p.m. local time in whatever part of the world is that time of the night. Since it is so soon after the March Equinox, the thinking is that it will be dark at 8:30 p.m. pretty much anywhere around the world.

Famous buildings and landmarks around the U.S. will take part by not having lights illuminating them for that one hour. Manhattan landmarks will probably be some of the most dramatic - Rockefeller Center and the Empire State Building are going dark along with the lights on some of the famous bridges. I looked up what would be happening in Rhode Island and they asked the main tall building - One Financial Plaza (formerly Hospital Trust) - to turn off the lights it usually always leaves on across the top of the building.

Earth Hour - In Progress Right Now

Since the effort is symbolic and not an intentional absolute blackout, they are advocating turning off overhead lights and lamps around your house but say it is ok to keep television and computers on. Therefore, I am blogging in the dark by candlelight right this minute. I have groupings of small candles lit near the couch where I am sitting and on the counters in the kitchen. This is fun!

What strikes me the most is how quiet it seems right now. The second most noticeable thing is how much light the candles give off so that I do not feel absolutely in darkness.

I looked out the windows to see if my neighbors seem to also be doing it and I must confess most of the house windows are well-lit. But I can know that I am joined by perhaps millions of other people around the world. This kind of common effort is very inspiring. I just stopped in at the Earth Hour website with its live update and the photos of cities around the world are awesome.

What a great idea! It inspires me to share some of  Sri Chinmoy’s aphorisms and poetry with the imagery of candles:

My heart’s candlelight
And my life’s hope-flames
Are going to show me the way
As I walk along
Eternity’s God-Vision-Road.
-Sri Chinmoy

How beautiful to look at
When my prayer
Lights a candle of hope
In my heart.
-Sri Chinmoy

We have some typical haunts and stops along the way when we are making the journey in a leisurely fashion. Some are shopping oriented,  some food oriented and some nature oriented. Route 1 in Orange, Ct. boasts a Trader Joe’s, L.L. Bean Outlet, Talbots Outlet and Starbucks all in practically the same shopping plaza. Just down the road and around the corner is a Christmas Tree Shop which unlike its name sells all kinds of stuff cheaply, not just seasonal Christmas items.

In the summertime, we like to get off 95 in Connecticut and drive along Route 1 (Boston Post Road) as it hugs the coast of Long Island Sound. Madison, Ct. has a quaint and adorable Main Street with nice shops and cafes right near the water. Usually we get ice cream in downtown Madison at The Beanery since they sell coffee, sandwiches and baked goods along with Gifford’s ice cream.

In the fall, you’re likely to find us at Bishop’s Farm in Guilford, Ct. buying apples, apple cider and freshly baked donuts or cookies. They have pumpkins galore and you can even make your own scarecrow at certain times of the year.

Today we tried something new and different for us. It seems like we have passed the sign for Rocky Neck State Park (Exit 72 off of 95 North) a million times but today was the first time we ever took the exit and decided to see if it was a short distance from the highway. Sure enough! We traveled probably less than a mile off the highway to arrive at the entrance. We got in for free since it is off season until the end of April. Someone parked near the booth where you would ordinarily pay to get into the park rolled down their window and explained to us that we could drive about a mile into the park to get to the beach area.

We were doubting that we had arrived when we came to a parking area because all we could see was an embankment with train tracks, overhead wires and metal fences. One sign said walkway to beach so we got out and went exploring in search of the the ocean.

There is a walkway under the train tracks - a kind of an underpass. Right through this opening you see a fantastic beach with very white sand and a rocky area extending out into the ocean. It is gorgeous and so unusual with the train tracks right up against the edge of the beach. While we walked around on the beach picking up shells and playing race the waves, a train actually came by on the tracks. I cannot picture ever seeing such a close  juxtaposition of these elements together anywhere else.

When I got home, I looked up the State Park on the Web. Here is a link to the park’s official website. It is located in East Lyme, Ct. on the Long Island Sound and contains a large pavilion constructed in 1931. It contains camping facilities and is noted for its white sandy beaches and clear water.

Here are some photos I took while we were there shortly before sunset.

Here is a photo of this year’s crocuses:

Crocus blooming around my house is a fairly new addition even though I’ve lived here in East Providence, RI for ten years. Squirrels had typically eaten crocus bulbs I planted until I tried waiting until December to plant them. Now they are the first flowers to bloom at my house in the barely arriving season of Spring.

The crocus is part of the iris plant family and is most noted for the variety of crocus that is used to produce saffron - used for its dye, medicinal purposes and for its use in cooking.

Emily Dickinson called the crocus “Spring’s first conviction.” Here is an Emily Dickinson poem about Spring that is the perfect usher for today’s Vernal Equinox.

Spring is the Period
Express from God.
Among the other seasons
Himself abide,

But during March and April
None stir abroad
Without a cordial interview
With God.
The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, poem no. 844

Read about Crocus Lore at The Butterfly Barn Nature Center Website in Pennsylvania.
Read my post about success with the squirrels not eating the bulbs.