Freedom is where my feet are.

The last walk of the 2012 training season started with the most magical sunrise. 

WEEKEND RECAP 

This 11 mile training walk was the exclamation point on our 5 months of training together for the Immediate Impact Walk. What a spectacular day it was. The sunrise was the harbinger of the day to come. We walked up through the Presidio, along the Ecology Trail, our Lake Street toward Geary and our new favorite break at the Land's End Visitor Center. 

Stone Labyrinth at Land's End Trail

From there, we headed out the Land's End Trail with a detour down some steep sandy stairs toward the Mile Rock Beach the Stone Labyrinth - a secret, somewhat mystical place with wind-swept rocky cliffs and vistas out to the headlands, wide ocean views, and a spectacular view back over the GG Bridge. 

Dophins off China Cove!

As we were walking along the trail we spotted the same pod of dolphins right off the China Cove Beach we had seen on previous training walks! There were close to 20 of them swimming very close to shore. We stopped, oogeled and squealed - to see them so close to the shore was so special. 

From there we made our way to Baker Beach for our last break. The day was warm and sunny.... and on those warm days there is a certain group of people who sunbathe nude at the north end of the beach (sadly, we have no photos of the nude men...) From there we gathered all of our resolve and heeded up the Sand Ladder for a triumphant finish to our final training walk! This day, with these wonderful people was the most magical way to wrap up our training season.

THIS WEEK'S MAP QUOTES 
When you combine a drive to help others with a strong community, great things can happen. Lee Rhodes, glassybay founder

Then, before the dust could settle, CHANGE took her breath within her.  There began to stir the winds that she kept inside herself, folded like linens being stored for a special occasion. Annette Childs-Oroz

WEEKLY INSPIRATION: ON BEING PRESENT

I found these two great articles about "being present", something I try to practice. Be in THIS moment. It's a constant practice. Get off your cell phone, don't update your Facebook status, don't worry about your errands and chores piling up at home. Stop, take a deep breath and be present!

5 Lessons about Being Present: Freedom is Where My Feet Are. by Erin Lanahan Source
As I begin each day, I must remind myself, “Erin, stay where your feet are.” If I keep my attention on the place where my feet reside, I have a better chance of remaining in the here and now. What’s here and now is all there is, so we’re told.

'What is Being Present" by John Kuypers 

(Ignore the Christian focus links, if that isn't your thing... but these descriptions/definitions were very helpful to me.)

Being Present is what you experience when you are completely focused on this very moment.   Your feelings are calm.  Your reflexes are fast.  Your mind is clear.  You are decisive.  You know what you want.  You know what's right for you.  You perform your best - public speaking, sports, music, relating to people.  Your confidence is deep.  You know you're not perfect.  This lets you be real.  You accept you have weaknesses.  So does everyone.

Being present is a time frame you choose to focus on.  There are only three possible time frames - past, present and future.  Once you become aware of the thoughts you are having and the content of those thoughts, you will notice which time-frame you are in at any given time.  You will begin to notice how often your thoughts and feelings are focused on the past or the future.  These thoughts are riddled with judgments, comparing the past or future to your present situation.  Many people spend less than 1% of their time being fully present. The rest of the time, we drift in and out as our attention wanders.  Your mind may even seem to be out of your own control.

Your memory is strong when You are in the present.  Do you recall times that are very clear in your memory?  All of you was in the "here and now" in those moments -  in a first love, on a great vacation, with a trusted friend.  These were moments when you felt safe.  You will be present more often when you learn to feel safe even in difficult, stressful, anxious situations - when people criticize you, when you make mistakes, when you are in a financial jam or in a love life crisis.  Otherwise, outside circumstances will dictate when you are able to be present...or not.

The path to being more real in the present is to stop comparing.  We compare the present with what "should" be happening.  The result of this is judgments.  We judge situations, other people and ourselves.  Judgments make it hard to be present.  Our minds become pre-occupied with thoughts that analyze the past or role-play the future.  We live in the past to lick our wounds or we live in the future because we don't trust ourselves that we'll be okay in the future.

Being present happens in an instant.  So does not being present.  An upsetting thoughts triggers emotions based on the past hurts or future fears.  It happens in an instant and is highly dependent on how good your boundaries are.   Both result in conflict and unhappiness rooted in past and future-based thoughts and feelings. This is the real You that you want to keep hidden.

Being present means learning to live as if you have nothing to hide, nothing to prove and nothing to lose.  This is how your mind, body, heart and soul become unified in that one moment.   Time slows down.  You are connecting with God - the eternal life force.  In fact, the definition of eternity is the present moment.  It has never NOT been the present moment - the only time that is real.  That is merely a logical fact.

Your ability to be present depends on having good boundaries.  That is the reason for the two hands in the Present Living & Learning logo.   If you have weak boundaries, you will either lash out at others unjustly or you will be passive and let others run over you.  When you are you, your focus is on self-control and self-responsibility.  You don't control others, nor do you let others control you.

Being present begins with NOTICING when you are trying to alter the present moment and learning what you can do about it.  You become aware that you use "judgments" to try to control others and yourself. This creates a 'victim' mindset.  You learn to stop being a victim.  You become a more decisive person who makes wiser choices in difficult, uncertain and even scary situations.  Your self-confidence and self-trust grow tremendously, as does your faith and spirituality.  You feel safer, which lets you be present with others. They will soon notice a real and positive change!

UPCOMING TRAINING WALKS

RSVP here: http://groupspaces.com/InOurLifetime/calendar/ 

Saturday 10/13: 9 Miles - 7:00am - Pt Reyes Trail Walk with lunch in Pt Reyes Station

Sunday 10/21: 20 Miles - Tiburon Walk! - 6:00am (with a route support car so we can take turns walking)

Turning an Ending into a Beginning

The light has changed. A season ending. A new season beginning.

As the inaugural Immediate Impact Breast Cancer Walk draws near, I find my time for blogging is severely lacking!  Maybe I will go back and do a re-cap of the missed weekends once this walk season is completed. 

Cheering stations and ceremony location for the Immediate Impact Walk are posted here. We'd love to see some friendly faces during the event weekend!

WEEKEND RECAP 
Saturday's walk was the ever famous Divisadero Hill Butt Burner walk! Here is a screen shot from Trina's phone of the HILLS - 403 feet of climbing! 

On Sunday we met at our new favorite location, the Transit Cafe for a 12 mile walk over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and back. It was an easy, moderately paced walk with a break at the Starbucks where we all got yummy treats! It was very apparent that light has changed, the sun is lower in the sky, and all of the sudden it is Fall - the light over the Bay and over the city skyline was spectacular. 

Looking at seals in the harbor. Photo from Judy Janec.

As we walked down to Ft. Baker from the bridge we came across into some pretty tired and rough looking dudes. Turns out they were participating in the Headland's Marathon. It's a trail run/walk of a marathon, 50 or 100 miles! There was an aide station tucked along the road by the pier at Ft Baker. We chatted with the people running it and wow, what an amazing commitment to walk 100 miles non-stop.  I pulled this from the website: 

Time Limits

50 Miles - 15 hours (10 PM Saturday, “22:00”)

75 Miles - 24 hours (7 AM Sunday, “07:00”)

100 Miles - 33 hours (4 PM Sunday, “16:00”) 

That's a 3.0 -3.3 mph pace.... with NO breaks. OH MY! Hard core. 

Gorgeous women! Photo from Peggy.

THIS WEEK'S MAP QUOTES 
The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it. John Ruskin

When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it's bottomless, that it doesn't have any resolution, that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless. You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there, as well as how much space. Pema Chodron

UPCOMING TRAINING WALKS

RSVP here: http://groupspaces.com/InOurLifetime/calendar/ 

Saturday 9/22: 11 Miles - 7:00am - The Warming Hut 

Saturday 10/13: 9 Miles - 7:00am - Pt Reyes Trail Walk with lunch in Pt Reyes Station

Sunday 10/21: 20 Miles - Tiburon Walk! - 6:00am (with a route support car so we can take turns walking)

WEEKLY INSPIRATION 
Reflecting back upon this year and how everyone in our community was faced with a decision to participate, to not participate this year or to move beyond the Komen 3 Day for the Cure event, I have spent a lot of time thinking about the concept that, while the chapter is coming to a close for the Warming Hut Hotties, there is a new beginning for everyone. 

The Komen/Planned Parenthood controversy was a moment to step back and reflect upon your priorities, what you stand for, and take a big picture view of our team and community . What is the deep meaning behind your participation in these events? Why walk to raise money for breast cancer? What is important to you? 

Taking a moment to be grounded in our individual participation choices was, in itself, a gift. Respecting individual choices to participate in the event of your choosing, and supporting those choices is at the heart of this community.

Participating in these breast cancer events has been a gift and to think of it any other way is losing sight of the forest through the trees.

• It is a gift that these walk events exist for us to channel our compassion and desire to affect change in this world.
• It is a gift that we are physically capable of participating by walking, volunteering and crewing.
• It is a gift that we can afford to sign up and pay for fees, shoes and gear to walk.
• It is a gift that there was an open team, a welcoming community and many training walks in which you could participate.
• It is a gift that our donors generously support us and make our participation possible, by funding research and services to people in need.

Some people will continue to participate in the Avon Walk and the 3 Day events next year. Some people will participate in the Immediate Impact Walk. Some people will find new ways and organizations into which to channel their volunteerism in the breast cancer community. As it is every year, some people walk one time and move on to new adventures and new challenges in their lives. 

We will all hold our memories and friendships from the years of the Warming Hut Hotties Team closely in our hearts. Our participation has changed us all; the positivity and kindness of our community will have a lasting effect in our lives. As the ten years of the Warming Hut Hotties as a team is coming to an ending, remember there are possibilities in new beginnings in 2013. Follow where your heart is calling you.

Turning an Ending into a Beginning

By David G Arenson, ND Article source.

Your universe crashes. The world you had constructed in your mind falls like a tower collapsing into the dust of fallen dreams.

Like thunder in the heart, everything seems like it’s capitulated—nothing makes sense in your life any more.

A crisis? When an unexpected stressful event happens to us, do we ever stop to ask why? Or is it too late to ask? We fall into an abyss and ask questions later.

What would it take to accept your life as it is and create a feeling of peace about it? If we redefine what a problem is and call it a challenge, a game, or, better yet, an opportunity or a blessing in disguise, surely that opens up many possibilities. From our attitudes, we create.

The stress response is a complex one. Yet to simplify and get down to its roots: Stress is a response triggered by an event which takes us right back to the fundamental emotions from the past—fear and anger. It is always past-focused. Usually, the core issues that define these emotions are memories of rejection or abandonment, lack or loss of control, helplessness, or hopelessness.

When your life seems to end, it is a great opportunity to start all over again at the beginning and redefine exactly who you are, what you will stand for, and who you are not.

Your life is your statement to the world, representing your values, beliefs, and dreams. Thus an ending is really a beginning.

Your life is yours to create, to enjoy or not enjoy, to fight or be at peace.

When all else is lost, you face yourself directly in the mirror, and from this vantage point of complete nakedness, clarity emerges and a new image starts to form of your future. From this point, you can create something real and meaningful, which will evolve into something beautiful in time.

When does “becoming” end? When you are “being” something. Sometimes “becoming” needs to come to an end (perhaps an abrupt end) for you to realize that you no longer need to become something you already are.

Whatever has appeared in your life is there for a reason. You can either ignore it or learn from it. No circumstance is accidental, though it may be unwanted. Choose what you will be. Choose what shall be. All you have is this moment—the only moment of choice. We cannot control everything.

Life will always change. The only question is, will you change with it? Sometimes getting out of the way is a better move than standing tall and strong.

When the river comes flooding down your driveway, will you survive by standing tall and strong or by attaching yourself to a floating branch and trusting that the flow will take you somewhere safe?

Whatever you’re going through, there’s someone who is going through something worse. Whatever is happening, there is someone who went through worse and didn’t just come out of it, but thrived!

Keep your chin up and believe that everything can get better. You are never alone, although it may feel that way. Believe in yourself.

Life is for the Living.

WOOOOHOOOOO! The 2012 3 Day Warming Hut Hottie Team

WEEKEND RECAP 
There were no organized training walks this past weekend because it was the San Francisco Komen 3 Day for the Cure event. The Warming Hut Hotties team had walkers, crew, volunteers and walker stalkers participating in the event. 

The Warming  Hut Hotties team surpassed their goal and raised $102,994! The event had 900 walkers, 275 crew and raised $2.4 million dollars!  CONGRATULATIONS to you all! THANK YOU for participating and being a part of this remarkable community.

The 3 Day event is three days the way we wished the world could be. A weekend filled with kindness and compassion. It is a weekend to remember, mourn and celebrate the lives of those we have lost to this disease. It is a weekend to cherish those who have walked the path of a cancer diagnosis and are here to walk along side us. It is a weekend to celebrate life, friendships, family, love and connection. 

Your brilliant hottie spirits lift all of those around you. Hold this weekend and all of the memories close in your heart.

WEEKLY INSPIRATION

Life is for the living. It’s up for grabbing onto and living on the wild side. Life is not about sitting safely in the harbor, but about casting off the bowlines and heading into the unknown. Live life to the fullest today.

50 Lessons I Wish I Had Learned Earlier by Nancy Sathre-Vogel 

Now that I’m old and gray (but not quite in my rocker yet!), I look back on my life and think about things I wish I knew earlier. It would have made my life so much easier if I knew then what I know now. Here’s my list of things I wish I could turn back the hands of time to tell my younger self. Maybe it’s not too late for you.

1.    You’re stronger than you think you are.

2.    Mistakes teach you important lessons. Every time you make one, you’re one step closer to your goal.

3.    There is nothing to hold you back except you.

4.    You can press forward long after you can’t. It’s a matter of wanting it bad enough.

5.    No matter how much progress you make there will always be the people who insist that whatever you’re trying to do is impossible.

6.    You are limited only by your own imagination. Let it fly.

7.    Perception is reality.

8.    Your instincts can be trusted.

9.    There is only one question to ask yourself: “What would you do if you were not afraid?”

10.  It’s often hard to tell just how close you are to success.

11.  The only mistake that can truly hurt you is choosing to do nothing simply because you’re too scared to make a mistake.

12.  Never let success get to your head, and never let failure get to your heart.

13.  You have to fight through some bad days to earn the best days of your life.

14.  Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.

15.  Do what you love, not what you think you’re supposed to do.

16.  Laughter is the best medicine for stress. Laugh at yourself often.

17.  If you want to feel rich, just count all the great things you have that money can’t buy.

18.  Forgiving yourself is far more important than getting others to forgive you.

19.  If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, you’ll often find that you’re right.

20.  Be nice to yourself.

21.  For the most part, it doesn’t matter what people think. Follow your own truth.

22.  No education is wasted. Drink in as many new experiences as you can.

23.  Making one person smile can change the world.

24.  Don’t forget to enjoy your journey!

25.  You never know how strong you really are until being strong is the only choice you have.

26.  Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.

27.  You cannot change what you refuse to confront.

28.  Crying doesn’t indicate that you’re weak. It doesn’t always solve your problems either.

29.  No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.

30.  Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.

31.  You can learn great things from your mistakes when you aren’t busy denying them.

32.  Give up worrying about what others think of you.

33.  When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you.

34.  You have to accept that some things will never be yours, and learn to appreciate the things that are only yours.

35.  As Henry Ford put it, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right.”

36.  Don’t be afraid to move out of your comfort zone. Some of your best life experiences and opportunities will transpire only after you dare to lose.

37.  Giving up doesn’t always mean you’re weak, sometimes it means you are strong enough and smart enough to let go.

38.  You’ll rarely be 100% sure it will work. But you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work.

39.  Don’t dwell on the past or worry about the future for too long. Right now is life. Live it.

40.  No matter how cautiously you choose your words, someone will always twist them around and misinterpret what you say. Just say what you need to say.

41.  Not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of good luck.

42.  If you are passionate about something, pursue it, no matter what anyone else thinks. That’s how dreams are achieved.

43.  If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.

44.  What lies before us and behind us are tiny matters when compared to what lies within us.

45.  Don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines.

46.  It’s not about getting a chance, it’s about taking a chance.

47.  If it were easy everyone would do it.

48.  Be vulnerable.

49.  A problem is a chance for you to learn.

50.  Regardless of the situation, life goes on.

UPCOMING TRAINING WALKS
RSVP here: http://groupspaces.com/InOurLifetime/calendar/ 
Sat 9/15: 12 Miles - 7:00am - Warming Hut
Sunday 9/16: 12 Miles - 7:00am - Transit Cafe
Saturday 9/22: 10 Miles - 7:00am - The Warming Hut 
9/29 - 9/30: No Walks - Immediate Impact Walk Weekend!
Saturday 10/13: 9 Miles - Pt Reyes Trail Walk
Sunday 9/21: 20 Mile - Tiburon Walk (with route support)