Jowan Sandy and Sristi running through Toledo.

With only nine states left to run through until we reach New York City and less than 1,400 miles to run out of the total of 10,700 miles in all, we feel that we are reaching our goal successfully. But we still have two weeks of running left and lots of people to meet. Each day, each mile, and each person are all very precious and meaningful experiences to us. Today was no exception.

Vilupti with the school kids.

It was a very eventful day from the beginning to end. Our first ceremony was in Southgate, Michigan, just south of Detroit. We met over 200 children and staff at the YMCA there. It was an incredible facility complete with 50 meter pool and a huge water slide. Unfortunately we had no time to go in the water, but we did spend time with the kids. We were greeted by Lindsey, one of the staff who organized the event for us, as well as the Director John Lucher and other counselors and staff members. Dennis Oblander from the News-Guardian local newspaper was also present to cover the story and share with the public the wonderful greetings we received from this small community of harmony lovers.

Meanwhile, one of our girls teams was being escorted into Monroe to meet Mayor Ryan Soloman who was there to greet them with enthusiasm and sincere wishes. He and his assistant shared wonderful ideas with the runners as they spent some time together before they had to run off to the YMCA ceremony later this morning. They were also covered by the Monroe Evening News as Valerie Tobias came to take photos of the meeting.

Kids from the Monroe YMCA hold the torch.

The most difficult thing on this constantly moving project is meeting such great people and having to say goodbye almost as soon as we have said hello but the solid connections are made and the goodwill that is shared will last for a lifetime. We carry all the good wishes as we run further towards the goal, enriching our lives and sharing with others all the harmony we have received from each community.

The entire goup from Monroe YMCA Summer Camp.

At the YMCA in Monroe there were about 50 children and staff outside waiting for the runners with signs, colorful paper torches and enthusiastic cheers. After our presentation, we had a mini-relay around the yard with staff member John carrying the Torch. Everyone had to follow behind him as we zig-zag back and forth. It was lots of fun for the kids and it resembled our circuitous route throughout this big country. Jen Marcleini from the Monroe Evening News was covering this event and stayed the whole time with a wonderful presence and attitude that reflected her genuine interest in our run. Our women’s team who ran in and out of the event was escorted by Cpl. Larry Jenkins of the Monroe Police Department. He was quite enthusiastic and even took time to draw a map of the route through town for the other teams who were not running.

World Harmony Team at Hob Haven Summer Camp.

After Monroe, my team, with Prabhakar and Sunabin, ran into Ohio to Toledo where the other men’s team took over. They ran to the Hob Haven Day Camp at the Maumee Valley Country Day School where about 100 children and staff greeted us. Erin and Justin from ABC TV were also there to greet us to put a story on this evening’s news. We also were joined by a friend from Nepal, Srisiti, who ran in with the runners with joy and delight. The children offered us their signed T-Shirts afterwards as a token of their appreciation. We had some photos taken and let some of the children run around the yard with the torch as well. We are very grateful to the Director Stefanie White for having us share this time with the kids.

Prabhakar with two Hob Haven kids.

Our next stop was the Commodore Perry Statue in downtown Perrysburg on the banks of the Maumee River. This very historic area was the scene of much boat trade and traffic in the early days of the settlements here hundreds of years ago. In this beautiful park along the river we had some photos taken by the local newspaper as local runners Sandy Valuck ran in carrying the torch with some of our runners. Our good friend from Nepal, Sristi, also carried the Torch for a while from Maumee as we made our way to Perrysburg.

Anja, Maria and Vilupti looking at tomorrow’s schedule from a very comfortable perspective.

Pam Summons, our local coordinator from Ohio, did such a great job organizing these events for us and we are so grateful to her for her enthusiasm and support.

Jowan and Prabhakar vacuuming the food table at Marge and Steve’s place, our gracious hosts for the evening.

Pam also arranged for us to have dinner with our good friends in Perrysburg, Marge and Steve. They opened their home to all of us and even prepared a huge and delicious meal for us. The weather was perfect as the sun was going down and the birds and cicadas were serenading us in the back yard gardens at the end of a long and satisfying day. We are looking forward to our next few days running through Ohio.

Arpan and Team Harmony

Svetlana and Linda run into the Monroe YMCA.

After the silence and peace

After the silence and peace of nature and the country we came back to the little stressful but dynamic civilization. The quiet running routes became busy highways. Approaching the East Coast the pace of life accelerates, so people might need more harmony in the hustle and bustle of the city, which makes our run more meaningful. We also had to adjust to the new lifestyle, so we set our watches with one hour ahead again, which carries an immediate consequence: less sleep. The densely populated area also means more receptions, which are great opportunities to meet a lot of nice people.

Today we had to split the teams in order to visit different receptions at the same time. My team (Sevati, Svetlana and myself) got the opportunity to run to the City Hall in Monroe and meet the Mayor and some city officials. Before we reached the city limits a very friendly policeman (Cpl. Larry Jenkins) came to give us escort to the city. It is always fun to run with police. It gives us safety and a lot of excitement. We can occupy a whole lane, we can go through the red lights and we can feel like somebody important.

Monroe Mayor Ryan Solomon with his assistant and out police escort.

At the City Hall the mayor, Mr. John Iacoangeli, Ryan Solomon and Jean Guyor, from the City Council were waiting for us. I wished our whole colorful team have been there, but the city officials had to rest content with one Russian, one El Salvadorian and one Hungarian representative. We introduced the World Harmony Run and we were happy to hear that they remembered the previous run going through Monroe. The mayor presented us some nice T-shirts with the city logo and some local refreshments.

Later we had a nice conversation with him and he offered us the following beautiful message: “Friendship and personal relationships are the best way to build and maintain a peaceful world. All people, regardless of nationality, strive for and flourish in peace and harmony. Regards, and thank you for allowing me to be part of your life.”

I also had a very nice exchange of thoughts with Ryan Solomon, who works for the city council. I was extremely impressed how deeply he could understand the idea of World Harmony. He also asked a lot questions about our everyday life and experiences. I told him about my personal feelings being with different nationalities in a foreign country, and how I learned that behind each different mentality the same heart is beating. When we do not have prejudice or judgments we can make friends everywhere. I happily acknowledged that he totally and immediately understood that, and added a very nice thought to it: ”Your interactions and conversations with the people who you meet are peeling away the layers of misperception and preconceived notions we all have about people who we do not know.”

I think I cannot say more than that, it was a perfectly phrased wise summary of my most significant experience on the run.

Thanks,

Linda (Hungary)

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