Today our team had a 6:30 a.m. start on the road out of Tallahassee. It was a cool morning and my breath came out in plumes as I assembled my gear outside of the World Harmony RV. We traveled some 20 miles to pick up the trail where the other team left off the previous day and were surfing the road by 7:00. Homagni and I ran with the leap-frog strategy that is such an effective means to cover the mileage in a short time. Salil was navigating our van (nicknamed Greeny) and servicing the runners.

I came out with a 9 min/mi pace and was feeling good for the first four miles, but eventually I noticed some fatigue building in my legs. This is a strange phenomenon for me to be tired at such a pace. Evidently the wear and tear of the last few days was building up on me. As a runner on the World Harmony Team we run every day without a day off; if you run less than 8 miles that is actually considered a break. However nobody runs beyond their capacity or feels pressure to do so. Our philosophy is self-transcendence; slowly, steadily and unerringly we reach our goal.

Our first destination was the Chattahoochee Elementary School where we were expected to participate in a program at 9:00 a.m. with fifth and sixth graders. The school was composed of mostly African American students who were very energetic. A group of girls performed a rhythmic slap/stomp dance that was amusing and dynamic; the mantra of the song was “We’re stepping for P-E-A-C-E”. Next, a teacher sang a song about walking your path and receiving strength and courage from God. We offered the kids a little geography lesson related to the route of our Harmony Run and answered some questions that they had. We ended the program by teaching them our Harmony theme song, taking some photographs, and allowing the kids to hold the torch.

Our team headed back to the road and now it was Salil’s turn to hit the road. During his run we drew the attention of two ladies who had heard about our torch relay on the radio. Helen Grice was the president of the Sneads Carlisle Rose Garden Club and she was accompanied by her daughter Brenda and her service dog. These ladies were so touched and moved by what we were doing and I heard her comment that we’ll never know how much we have touched her. They took our photographs and were absolutely beaming with delight. I was quite moved by the experience of joy that was emanating from these people. They said their farewells but then rejoined us ten minutes later to invite us to lunch with their garden club at a Chinese restaurant called the Fortune Cookie in Marianna, a gesture of pure generosity and love.

The next leg of our day’s journey was traveled along interstate 10 headed west towards Fort Walton Beach, FL. It was a long way off so Homagni and I had a chance to snooze in the RV on the way there. When Homagni woke up what he saw was all white and pure sandy beaches which padded the enormous body of water, the Gulf of Mexico. We headed towards the Best Western Inn to settle into our Complimentary hotel room. When we arrived they had a welcome sign on their billboard and had baked us fresh chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies. A nice welcome that really made us feel right at home.

The view from our room was a fantastic panoramic peek at the sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. We wasted no time in getting to the beach. The surf was up and we were thirsty for some waves. I have never swam in an ocean before so everything was new to me, but after a short lesson on bodysurfing from the experienced Aussies I was riding the waves.

As if we hadn’t had a full enough day yet it was time to head to the Black Pearl for a wonderful complimentary meal. It was their first day of business, actually we were their first customers. Can you imagine? They served us salad with bread and veggie kabobs with rice, absolutely delicious and fine quality.

The owners, Rachelle Roubique and Brandy Bonanni, were so very nice and understanding of the message of World Harmony we were trying to promote. They enthusiastically implored us to come again next year.

Then we headed to an Italian gelato joint adjacent to the Black Pearl called San Gelato, it was actually run by an Italian fellow from Milan named Michelle (pronounced Mi-kay-lay). He was also quite inspired by our flaming torch and offered us free cups of his exquisite gelato. I indulged in the tiramisu flavor. We all introduced ourselves and sang him our Harmony Run theme song. True delight and another day ending on a sweet note.

Eric (Chicago)

Hi, everybody around the globe.

Today was my ‘doggy’ day. The girls team ran between Albany, GA to Tallahassee, FL. As I was passing by one of these funny trailer parks – which are very ‘unique’ for us Europeans—a pack of dogs came running up to me, barking like anything. Never the less, I decided to keep on running. I felt that they were just showing off.

Then I saw this huge, black dog. “Wow”, I said to myself, “all I see are its huge, white teeth.” I slowed down and the dog came closer and closer. I stopped running to see what would happen next.” Because I love dogs so much, I inwardly said hello to this black beauty. Next thing I knew, he was very enthusiastically jumping on me, licking my face and giving me the biggest hug. I noticed that it was quite a young, female dog. I kept the torch out of the way, as high as I could, while playing with my new friend. She fell at my feet and of course, I felt compelled to pet her. I tried to continue running, but my new friend had other plans. She once again fell flat on my shoes, so I had to give her the attention which she demanded, once again. She was looking at me, as if she were saying, “Hey, did you forget something?” So I began speaking to her, telling her what a good, brave and super nice dog she was, and that God is taking care of her and blessing her constantly. Suddenly, she jumped up, gave me a big smile with her bright eyes. I left feeling that the inner exchange was much more important to her than anything else. As I was leaving I noticed she had jumped into a nearby water hole, watching me as I was continuing running my miles.

Tonight we had the most extraordinary, delicious, super excellent Polish dinner thanks to Michal’s mom and dad: Mama and Tata. They drove hundreds of miles from Clearwater, FL to bring us this 5 course meal.

Gratitude,

Elke

Austria

(not pictured above)

Friendship on the road

Sunday morning, couldn’t be nicer for running--

Empty road and emerald surroundings.

Cows and horses

spread across the nearby field

Looking at me with their glance--

a mixture of wonder and green nirvana.

Nothing can disturb them,

not even a flaming torch.

But a little pony

With its curious neighing,

gently waving

its tail

in a friendly way,

Drew me out of my running nirvana.

Fascinated by the torch,

as I was by him,

in a flash

cosmic harmony

flew into me

from his eyes.

Maria

(pictured above)

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