Today the whole team said goodbye to Norseman and ran 199km to Esperance. Esperance derives from a Latin word that means hope or expectation.
While waiting on the side of the road, today we had time to watch the busy activity of ant colonies.
Along the way we saw many salt lakes. Edgars, Ashprihanal and Roni reached one of the salt lakes. Since Roni had just finished his running leg, he had the urge to rinse his face in the lake water. Oh, what a mistake! His face was burning and with his last strength he managed to take a picture of the smiling lucky ones, Edgars and Ashprihanal. Then he hurriedly ran to the van to rinse his face and eyes with drinkingwater. Yes, unusually strong salt water!
As the run moved south today, closer to the ocean and a more rain-prone area, it was easy to see that the natural landscape was becoming greener. The flocks of sheep grazing were also a sight that the runners had not seen in the past week.
The day was clear, warm and peaceful. We had 65km to run as part of the big team. And since we didn't have any meetings and didn't see anything spectacular on the way I felt that it would be great to share our feelings about the Peace Run. So I asked my friends and myself a few questions: What the Peace Run means to you? What are you learning being here? So here are glimpses of our experience about the Inner Universe of the Peace Run.
Anastasia- For me the Peace Run is a golden opportunity to live, practice and at the same time to share with others the most beautiful values of oneness, love and harmony. Every day is a chance to look at others with a pure mind and an open heart, to see precious qualities in each person, with whom I spend every day of this 1.5 month period of my life. Every day I discover new depth, kindness, concern, joy, sweetness and purity in the heart of each member of our team. And sometimes there are some lessons of patience, acceptance, forgiveness. The Peace Run is a journey and a school of life for me. The innocence and purity of the children and the sweet, kind smiles of people whom we meet on the way remain in the heart as a warm sunlight. It's a unique experience.
Teekhnata- It is very meaningful to share the message of peace. Peace for me is a sense of belonging, belonging to others, to the Earth and to God, and as I remember and feel this deep connection, my heart opens and I become a more loving and kind version of myself. This is my hope for the world and humanity at large, that we simply remember that we are all connected and can choose to love each other. I personally get a lot out of being on the Peace Run because it enables me to shine a light on the pieces of me that need transformation and to also discover capacities that have been dormant and are now ready to be manifested. It is very challenging, but in the best way!
Dhavala- I love running, I love nature and I love watching how the Peace Torch and the message it carries always finds good, kind, peaceful people in every country. It’s like a magnet to draw out the good qualities in everyone who holds it.
Luiza- What i mostly love about Peace Run and what amazes me every single time is to see how so many different nationalities and cultures can peacefully and perfectly work together. I love to meet the people in their communities and see how their hearts are big and generous when it comes to sharing the same ideal of a peaceful world. A friend who did a lot of Peace Runs used to say: " There are good people everywhere" and it was so much truth in what he said.
Susan- The Peace Run is bringing forward the good qualities in human beings. I feel honoured to be part of something so universal. When I run with the torch I feel peace is a reality. When I share the torch with others their own feeling for peace inspires me further.
This morning while driving to our starting point, we came across the blue-painted tree again. In fact, it is The Blue Tree Project. While we run around Australia clockwise, Brooke McIntosh is running the same distance in the opposite direction. Brooke is running 14.080 km to raise money for the Blue Tree Project - helping to make mental health visible across Australia. Suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15 to 44. Brooke is running to show the urgent need for greater awareness and support. https://just-one-more.raiselysite.com
Koala bear. Eating koala fare. In his koala hair. Not rushing. Not blushing. Not flushing. In a tree. Happy to be. Feeling free. Moving slow. No where to go. Nothing to know. Just Eat. Just Sleep. And Repeat. Just Eat. Just Sleep. And Repeat. -Atulya
Upon entering the city, the runners joked that words like car parking, navigation, and the possibility of getting lost would return to the colloquial vocabulary.
Upon reaching the Bathers Paradise Caravan Park accommodation, the runners quickly realised that the local beach lived up to the Caravan Park name.
After running we drove to Esperance. And to our great joy we saw the deep blue ocean.
Before cooking we went to the beach and admired the rich colours of the sky and the soft fluffy waves of the ocean.
Rachel, the manager of Woolworths in Esperance donated fruits, water and snacks to the team. We are very grateful for their oneness and support.
Huge Thank You to Bathers Paradise Caravan Park who kindly provided us with complimentary camping tonight.
We started to cook.....
The Peace Run team enjoyed the dinner and jokingly told us that they will give us a certificate of appreciation. The joy at dinner also comes from the fact we were travelling through the Nullarbor for several days and couldn't buy food so we were cooking meals from the same products with just a few variations. Today we were back to civilisation and enjoyed dinner as a party!
"The philosophy for the New Millennium will be: do not see faults in anybody’s life; do not see the faults in your own life. Only force yourself to see all the good things you have done, all the good things you are planning to do and all the good things that others have done. In the next millennium, the goal of philosophy will be only to see the light in oneself and the light in others. Then only will you be able to expedite the arrival of world-peace and world-oneness."
Sri Chinmoy
