Early this morning I ran the foothills – what a challenging and gorgeous adventure it was. As I am running a downhill race in August in the Black Hills of South Dakota, one of my commitments is to practice on hills.

The weather was cool – about 54 degrees – and the sun was coming up over the foothills. To me, they seem more like mountains, but everyone around here calls them foothills. The first half of the run was mostly uphill, and parts were rocky and steep. One wrong step and you can end up in the creek below but not before rolling over and into the bushes along the side of the path.

The farther I went into the hills, the wildflowers grew more abundant. Light blue, dark purple, white, yellow, red – you name it, all the colors were represented. The sound of the flowing water just below the path was welcoming to both me and the birds as I saw birds drinking in the creek. I stopped at irregular intervals to take in the surroundings (and because I needed to take a breath). The scenery was indeed breathtaking – both literally and figuratively speaking.

It is really easy to find places to connect with nature whether you are in a city, running along a river, or hiking in the foothills. You just have to take the time to find the right places. Connecting with nature can be as simple as noticing a bird, a tree, a flower in your own yard – you don’t have to be “in the wild.” So make time to find those connections, and you’ll discover a peace that you might not have felt in a long time.

Thanks to Mark for sending me the link to this 2-minute inspirational movie on the defining moments in our lives.

In a previous post entitled “Be Here Now,” I told you about a card that picked me when I was in a bookstore in Sun Valley, Idaho. The card read, “This is a new day, one that I have never lived before. I stay in the Now and enjoy each and every moment.”

When you focus on something, you will be amazed at the things that “come” to you in the way of connections. A simple example: If you’re thinking of getting a golden retriever, you will begin to see them all over the place. You didn’t really notice before how many different colors of golden retrievers there are, but now that you’re focused on it, you notice them everywhere.

I’ve been working on “being in the moment” more – and believe me, it takes practice. Right now is all we have – the past is gone, and the future is not here yet, so we don’t have either of those.

I’m not sure if Dan Millman came up with the phrase “No ordinary moments,” but it is with him that I associate that expression. When we are focused on right now, we see things we would otherwise miss if we are thinking about the past or the future.

As one way to be “in the moment,” I have taken a lesson from Fremont, my 90-lb golden retriever. (more…)

Recently, I was reading Wayne Dyer’s Inspiration, and I came across a passage that stuck me as particularly interesting. For years, I’ve always said, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” I’m not sure who first said that, but it is true. Our readiness basically means that we should be open to all possibilities, and we should pay attention for signs.

Several things have occurred in the past couple of weeks with which I feel like I have been making a connection. Last weekend in the Sun Valley Half Marathon, as I was running along the path around mile 8, there sat a fox right beside the path.

Before I saw him, I was feeling a little frustrated because I was struggling with the altitude and having a hard time catching my breath. Unaware of the altitude, I was experiencing some negative self-talk about my fitness level. Then this fox appears – not running along the path – just sitting there watching me pass 3 feet away from him. This fox jolted me back to my senses as I recognized that it was such an extraordinary encounter. I realized at that moment that I was connecting with nature though this wild animal. My race got better at that point, and the last 5 miles of the race were a bit easier than the first 8.

Everything in nature is connected to the same Source, so when nature “speaks to us,” we should listen. Anytime something in nature actually connects with us physically – whether it’s a bird, a pine cone, a leaf, or a fox -  we should pay attention.

With all the snow melting in the mountains, the Boise River has been running very high and very fast. As I was heading over to the running path the other day, I could actually hear the river rushing from a block away. Although I knew the power and swiftness of the water, it was a soothing sound.

I looked at the rushing water and the ducks as I started running along the river path. Some Canada geese were struggling against the current, and I realized that everything in nature has its daily challenges. As I was still recovering from my marathon, I felt the challenge of getting back “up to speed.” I thought of the challenges that the Chinese people were facing in the wake of the devastating earthquake. I thought of the challenges that families face with illness and disabilities.

As I reflected on the many challenges that all things in nature face everyday, I realized that these challenges belong to all of us. We’re all connected. We’re all part of nature. We all originate from the same source.

And, we all have the same instinct to deal with the challenges we face, but it’s how we deal with them that determines our success in overcoming them.

That goose doesn’t allow the swift waters to just drag him along and take him under. The Chinese people don’t say, “Oh well, our town is destroyed, there’s nothing we can do about it.”

Think about the way you face challenges in your life.

Remember: The way you do anything is the way you do everything.

Do you have a friend whom you talk to or see only every few months – or even once a year – whom you consider to be a very close friend? And, when you do catch up, you reconnect instantly – as if no time has elapsed between visits? I know I do; in fact, I have a number of friends like that.

Many of my close friends are scattered throughout the country, but the distance doesn’t keep us from connecting on a regular basis. I recently got 2 calls from people I had emailed a couple of months ago. I knew we would eventually connect, and I talked to both of them within 2 days of each other.

Staying connected doesn’t always just happen. We have to make it work. I have moved several times in the last few years, and I make it a priority to keep in touch with the people I care about.

Is there someone you have been meaning to call or write?  With cell phones, email, and all the other ways to get in touch with people, there’s no excuse not to communicate with friends. Decide today to reconnect with someone you’ve been meaning to call. You’ll be glad you did – and so will they.

Women’s running pioneer Kathrine Switzer will be joining us for another live teleseminar on June 3, 2008. This live call is the second in a series of calls connected with the Women on the Move Conference and Retreat and Leading Ladies Marathon in Spearfish, South Dakota. If you would like to ask Kathrine a question and be on our live call, sign up at Women on the Move.

Our first call was so popular that some folks have asked us to do another one. Kathrine answered questions about her personal running career, both past and present, and also many issues that women runners face.

Don’t miss this opportunity to talk live with a running legend!

What started out as a short trip to Sun Valley, Idaho, to run a half marathon turned into more than just an inspiring run in the mountains.

Our original purpose for going to Sun Valley was to run the half marathon; however, when we got there, we discovered that the Sun Valley Wellness Festival was going on. And, a bonus that we weren’t counting on was being able to get tickets to hear Dan Milman speak on Friday night. Dan Milman is a former world champion athlete and author of 13 books, including Way of the Peaceful Warrior.

Most of us already have what we need to be successful, happy, and fulfilled in our lives. It’s just that sometimes we don’t know it and need to have it pointed out. So, we go to seminars, we listen to speakers, we read all the books, we listen to the CDs…all to learn how to get motivated to be successful, happy, and fulfilled.

But it’s not the KNOWING that is the problem – it’s the DOING. The challenge is turning what we know into what we do. Taking Action is the key.

So…

• Do you KNOW what to do to get healthy? Are you DOING it?
• Do you KNOW how to be successful? Are you DOING it?
• Do you KNOW what it takes to be happy? Are you DOING it?

Taking small steps everyday is a start. Although starting is usually the hardest part, it is about  Taking Action. Do something today – A little bit of something is better than a lot of nothing.

My mother probably had 20 bird feeders in her yard. She attracted Baltimore orioles, rose-breasted grosbeaks, indigo buntings, dark-eyed juncos, and of course, starlings, sparrows, bluejays, and blackbirds. She would tell us that even the blackbirds need to eat.

But one of her favorites was the cardinal. And, although she believed all her birds to be beautiful – even the blackbirds – she thought the cardinal was the most beautiful of all the birds.

She had many simple but wise sayings which I find myself not only passing along but also using as life lessons.

Her philosophy was simple: “Everybody can’t be a cardinal.” She believed that all things were beautiful in their own right, and when anyone would say something about someone else, she would respond, “Everybody can’t be a cardinal – some of us are sparrows.”

Although she passed away in 2003, her simple, yet philosophical, expressions live on as does her love of birds. Anytime any of us see an unusual or beautiful bird in our yard, we always say that “Granny sent that bird to us.”

Yesterday, my daughter Kelly called me on her way to work. And as she was walking along a Chicago city street, she told me that she saw the most beautiful red cardinal. We both thought of Granny, and I said, “You know what Granny would say?” And, of course, she said, “Yep.  Everybody can’t be a cardinal.”

Listening and hearing are two totally different things. I’m sure someone has told you, “You’re not listening…I said…” We have all had that exact conversation. Chances are, you probably were listening. But chances are, you weren’t hearing.

There are so many reasons why we don’t hear what others are telling us:

• We’re too preoccupied with what we’re going to say back
• We’re preoccupied with something else on our minds
• We’re not that interested in what the other person has to say
• We’re physically doing something else while the other person is talking

And the list goes on. Basically, we’re just not paying attention because we’re too focused on ourselves. We do live in a “me” culture in which people are not practiced in focusing on what the other person has to say.

I challenge you to focus on others – practice hearing what others have to say – just for one day to start with. Resist the urge to reply with something like, “Yes, well when I…”  Ask more questions, show interest, give your undivided attention. You will learn some interesting things about both others and yourself.