Long Run (1:15)

Met my brother at Burnaby Lake this morning for a run around the trails. It was a good, fast run. I was kind of annoyed he wanted to stop midway for a banana, but then, that's what having a running buddy is all about. Compromising. I stop all the time to pee, so I guess it's only fair. It was hot (we both had slept in and ended up running until around noon) but I had water with me this time. Granted, it was warm, but it went down smooth.

Next Sunday the schedule calls for a three-hour run. Mother of Pearl. I've never run that long ever. Not even close. The longest was 2:15 and that made me feel like a war hero. I half expected someone to hand me a medal when I got back to my car at Stanley Park. Nope. If they were staring it wasn't out of admiration but probably concern for my blotchy purple complexion and pained facial expressions. I don't know how I'm going to get through three hours. And my brother's going to be in Chicago, so it's just me and my own thoughts. Maybe I'll download a book on tape. Maybe War & Peace.

Song of Solomon

Read the Song of Solomon today. If you ask me, it's a bit of a letdown after the awesome Psalms, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. I don't really understand who's narrating half the time because it seems there's a female and a male narrator who keep switching off, talking about how much they love each other. You'd think there'd be some amazing verses full of gorgeous poetry, but nothing really stood out for me. It's only eight chapters long, though, so at least it doesn't drag like some of the earlier books that go on forever with the whole lineage of Jehosawhathisface thrown in for good measure.

Solomon is one of the less understood books in the Bible. Nobody knows who penned this one. According to Wikipedia it may have been Solomon himself, or some other person or people. Which pretty much means it could have been anyone. Whether it's literally a man and a woman talking, or whether it's supposed to be God and the people of Isreal (Jewish tradition) or Christ and the Church (Christian tradition), or something else entirely, also seems to remain a mystery.

I guess this is where people start arguing about the real meaning of the Bible, when you get to parts like this. Actually, I think it must be really interesting to be a biblical scholar and get to delve into the mysteries of this ancient text. Next is Isaiah. It's another longer one, so I hope it's as good as Proverbs. Not holding my breath though. I don't think I've heard any songs based on this book.

**NEXT: Isaiah

Ecclesiastes, or The Preacher

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven..." -- Ecclesiastes 3:1

What a beautifully written book Ecclesiastes is. It's from this book Pete Seeger lifted the lyrics to write what became the Byrd's 1965 classic, "Turn, Turn, Turn"... (To everything turn, turn, turn, there is a season, turn, turn, turn...) and it's also where we get the iconic phrases,

"There's nothing new under the sun,"

"The sun also rises,"

"He who increasesth knowledge increaseth sorrow"  (Though this one seems to contradict Proverbs, which is confusing.)

This book is just 12 chapters long, and written by The Preacher, the son of David. The main message is that life is short and then you die and all of mankind's actions are futile, thus we should enjoy life while we have it... party now for tomorrow ye shall perish. Something like that. Then again, there's a lot in Ecclesiastes about being good and working hard and realizing that God is more important that all the passing vanities of life. This book is the Christian self-help book within the Bible, summing up how to live the best life, to the fullest. And in the end, another reminder to keep the Lord in your heart:


"Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." -- Ecclesiastes 12:13

**NEXT: Song of Solomon

Proverbs

"As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly." -- Proverbs 26:11

Quite the analogy! The Book of Proverbs is all about being wise and not an idiot, because idiots will suffer if they don't strive to learn and understand the laws of God. Some other gems:

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7

"For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it." -- Proverbs 8:11

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." -- Proverbs 16:18

And I especially feel I have a lot to learn from this one: "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty: and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city." -- Proverbs 16:32

This book was supposedly written by King Solomon and a few other, lesser known people. It's part of the wisdom literature (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs) in the Bible, a collection of books that teach about how to discover the "tree of life" through a search for understanding. Took me three days to read Proverbs, at about 10 chapters a day. At this rate I should be finished reading the whole Bible by early October.

**NEXT: Ecclesiastes

Big Sisters On Hold

After going through the training session and a personal interview in April, I officially became a Big Sister as of early May. I got my membership card in the mail, and was told I'm on the list to be matched up with a Little in my area as soon as possible. Well, that was about two months ago now, and I've not heard anything from my counsellor at the Big Sisters office in Vancouver. I guess they're not as desperate for Bigs as I thought.

That's okay, though, because I've got a few projects pending, and I'd like to be able to have the freedom to take off next month if they pan out. Maybe even for the next few months... and it would be impossible with a weekly committment to a Little Sister here in town.

So, I'm going to stay on the waiting list and see what transpires in the next few weeks. Right now I'm still working on writing assignments but I have a few more ideas brewing, and a few more bucket list items soon to be checked off... stay tuned.

Running Thirsty

I used to run without water, but now it's impossible. Weird what your body gets used to. Strange what will happen if you let it get soft.

Today I ran 45 minutes and didn't bring my water belt with me. Since I've been training for a marathon I've brought water with me, and I guess my body just got used to having it. Within the first five minutes today I was thinking only of how sticky the inside of my mouth felt and how great it would be to have a sip of cold water. The entire run, I was spitting and gagging on thick saliva, toying with the idea of getting down on my hands and knees at the ditch along the side of the trail. The still water under dappled shadows in the forest looked incredible, and it's not something I usually notice. It's not especially hot and it's kind of overcast, but I was sweating something fierce. Every time I wiped my forehead I thought of all the water I was losing out of my pores. I wonder how much liquid we actually sweat out when we run?

Well, I made it home and had a tall glass of water at the kitchen sink before I'd even taken off my shoes. I can't imagine how Aaron Ralston felt after so many days without a drop to drink. What a nightmare. I'll remember to take my water belt with me next run. Even if it's just a short one.

Psalms

Finished the Book of Psalms today. There are 150 of them. They are songs written (I think by David and some other people) to praise God. They're what you usually hear read at funerals, and in Hollywood movies. Some of them are very famous:

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." -- Psalm 23

I really enjoyed this book. It's full of hope and direction to God's people to do good and trust in Him. I love the poetry:

"I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning." -- Psalm 130:5-6

Interesting that the Book of Psalms contains the shortest and the longest chapters in the Bible. The shortest is Psalm 117, the longest is Psalm 119. According to Wikipedia, Psalm 119 is "one of about a dozen alphabetic acrostic poems in the Bible. Its 176 verses are divided into 22 stanzas, one stanza for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet; within each stanza, each of the eight verses begins (in Hebrew) with that letter. The name of God (Yahweh/Jehovah) appears 24 times."

**NEXT: Proverbs

Middle of the Bible

"O praise the Lord, all ye nations; praise him, all ye people, For his merciful kindness is great toward us; and the truth of the Lord endureth forever. Praise ye the Lord." -- Psalm 117

I've reached the halfway mark in the Bible. Psalm 117 is the shortest of the 150 psalms, with just two verses. It's also the shortest of all the chapters (in the King James Version) of the Bible. Also, it pretty much sums up the message of the whole book: praise God, for He is good.

Job

Why do bad things happen to good people? This is the central question in the Book of Job, which I think is the most interesting book in the Bible, so far.

Job is a good guy who has a great life and then he loses everything; his family, his wealth and his health. He sits there, feeling dejected and in pain from horrible boils on his skin, cursing his life, ruing the day he was born, but... he never curses God, even when his wife says he should, and his friends say he must have done something to deserve his bad fortune. But that's the thing, he hadn't done anything wrong at all. Satan had brought about his misfortune in order to prove to God that people are only good when things are going well. In the end, however, God is proved right -- Job never loses his trust in God, and so God brings back the good things in his life, and more, including his children who had died.

This book is powerful in its plot as well as in its poetry:

"Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived. Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it. Let darkness and shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it. 
"As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months. Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein. Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning. Let the stars of the twighlight thereof be dark; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the day; 
"Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes. 
"Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly? Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck?
"For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest," -- Job 3:3-13

"For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." -- Job, 19:25-26

**NEXT: Psalms

Juggling Lesson

Well, I've been to circus school now, and had an impromptu lesson from a certified juggling instructor. Check out the video I made for the Live@YVR contest: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_29y7Z00Qx8

Juggling is something people learn to do either a) because they're coordinated, or b) they're obsessive enough to lock themselves in their room for hours, days, weeks at a time to learn a new skill. I don't seem to possess either trait, so it may be a while before I can truly say I can keep three balls in the air. I plateaued about two years ago when I got to the point of being able to do three rotations. I might just have to sign up for a few lessons with the juggling master at the Vancouver Circus School. Who knows, I just might learn how to ride a unicycle and walk a tightrope while I'm there.

They say spatial awareness is the sixth sense, and it's the one that makes you truly old when you lose it. Maybe that's the secret. Forget Oil of Olay. If you want to stay young, join the circus.

Why I Run Long Distance

Do you remember Sports Day at elementary school? There was a build-up to the most fun day of the school year in June, when you'd relish the lack of bells and classes and the chance to be outside just playing games, eating hot dogs and going home early. Of course, if you grew up anywhere around Vancouver, Sports Day was postponed about seven times due to rain before it actually happened.

So it was extra exciting to finally, FINALLY have a day of fun. And the main event, at the very end of the day, after all the silly, not-real sports, was the race. The real test of athletic prowess. Everyone lines up at the ditch by the fence, wiggling like puppies on a leash, and the principal loudly announces, "Ready? Set? GO!" We take off, sprinting as fast as our gangly legs would take us to the finish line at the jungle gym, only about 100 feet away, but always just too far for me. I was as eager as anyone else, but my short little legs only got to second gear, and no matter how much I craved that first-place blue ribbon, no matter how much effort I put in, it was no good. I was always at the back of the pack. I learned early on I am not a sprinter and never will be.

But set me up with a pair of good shoes and a bottle of water and I'll run till the cows come home. I am a distance runner. That's the beauty of distance running: anyone can do it, no matter how short your legs are, or whether or not you started young, because it's just a matter of putting in the time and having the mental stamina. If you just keep going, you'll get there. And then, like any Sports Day hero, you can legitimately say, "I'm a runner, too."

Esther

The book of Esther stands out from all the other books so far in that it's like a fairy tale, heavy on plot, and not a mention of God. Strange, but true. Like Ezra, it's just 10 chapters long, but unlike Ezra or Nehemia it's written in the third person.

The story goes something like this: the King of everything (from India to Ethiopia) decides to get rid of his wife, Queen Vashti, because she won't submit to being shown off to his friends wearing the royal crown. He decides to look for a new queen by seeing which local virgins are most beautiful. Wow. Feminism wasn't even on the horison yet. The King finds Esther the most glamorous and takes her as his new queen, not knowing (and here's the first twist) she's a Jew.

Esther was raised by her cousin, Mordacai. He learns of a plot to have the king assasinated and sends a message to Esther to warn her.

Meanwhile, there's a bad guy (naturally) named Haman who gets a chip on his shoulder about Mordacai because Mordacai refuses to bow to him. Haman gets so angry he declares war against all Jews and tells the king about his plan to destroy "a certain people" for their insolence. The king (stupidly) agrees without realizing he means Jews. When Mordacai learns of Haman's plot, he again sends word to Esther...

...who tells the king she wants something. He says, "Yes, darling, half my kingdom for you. Anything." And so she asks to have Haman over for dinner. After the dinner the king again says she can ask for whatever she wants and she says she'd like to do dinner with Haman again the next night. Of course Haman thinks he's going to be rewarded for something (because it's not every day you get to have dinner with the king and queen). The only damper for Haman is that damned Mordacai who's still not sucking up to him like everyone else. He decides to have a gallows built in front of his place to hang Mordacai asap.

Unfortunately for Haman... the next night when he goes to the royal palace the king says, "Hey, Haman, what do you think I should do for a man who the king wants to honour?" Haman thinks he means himself, BUT... Haman doesn't know that the king just found out it was Mordacai who saved his life earlier and he is referring to him, not Haman, as the honoree. Haman's like, "Well, I think you should make him rich, and lead him around town on your best horse letting everyone know how great he is." The king loves the idea and tells Haman to lead Mordacai around town, shouting his greatness. Haman is mortified and furious.

After the second dinner date with Haman, the king tells Esther again she can have whatever she wants, and she says she wants a promise that the Jewish people will not be harmed. The king, surprised, asks who is planning to harm the Jews, and she tells him it's Haman. The king, furious, storms out of the dining room for a moment (to compose himself, perhaps?) and Haman falls down next to Esther to beg her forgiveness, but when the king comes back in it looks like Haman's coming on to her, so the king is now super mad. "I want you hanged," he says, "but, damnit, there's nowhere to hang you!" Just then his officials speak up and let him know that, actually, there is a great place to hang Haman. In his own front yard. And so it is. Haman is hanged, as well as his 10 sons, poor bastards, and the king tells Mordacai to inform the Jews they should defend themselves against the edict to have them destroyed. (Why the king can't just reverse his own edict, I don't know.)

The Jews win victory against their enemies and Mordacai becomes super rich and famous and the Jews live happily ever after (for a while). The end.

**NEXT: Job