A Few of the Challenges on the Road to Harmony

After surviving a very cold night camping out at the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia last night, we happily awoke to the very same sun which we had been trying to avoid in the hot and humid South last week. The weather is much cooler now than it was last week, but now we are struggling with strong winds and colder temperatures. Still, we are not complaining about the weather, as it has been kinder to us than it could have been so far. We realize that we cannot have ideal conditions all the time and that we have to be prepared for all kinds of weather as we traverse north and south and across the vast and varied temperate zones.

The weather is only one aspect in the concerns of our daily life on the roads as we run 90 to 100 miles a day. The hills, the traffic, the condition of the roads and quality of the pavement and spaces to run on are also quite important to us. We try to stress safety above all else while running on roads that were not generally built for pedestrians. Today, for example, I was servicing my teammates, Goran and Damon, on the streets through Kansas City. We had many turns to lead them through and for the most part they were able to run on the sidewalks. But at one point the sidewalk ended and a narrow bridge suddenly appeared. Damon and I had to think quickly as Goran was approaching. We decided to go down a different road which was fine for a while. Even on the map everything looked good for this alternate route. But then before a mile, the road turned into a non-pedestrian parkway and we had to turn around again. We drove the runner over the bridge which was on the original route and then he ran the remaining miles from that point.

Being a Sunday, things were a bit quieter than usual. The traffic was not as usual busy either, but still it was a struggle to find our way through the Kansas Cities, that is, Kansas City Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas. We were tempted at one point to stop in Kansas City Missouri when Damon was running through a nice part of the town with live music on the sidewalk and a guy in a monkey suit entertaining passersby. We have done impromptu ceremonies in the past, but today, with all the logistical challenges, we just wanted to get through the city without getting totally lost and delayed. I was the last one to run my miles today which was only 9 in total. Damon wanted to do 16 today as our team of three had 33 miles to do. So we are grateful to Damon for taking almost half the miles of our three person team. The strong Kiwi comes through once again.

After checking into our wonderful complimentary accommodations at the Holiday Inn situated in a rural part of Lawrence, Kansas, most of us took advantage of the swimming pool and hot tub. The challenge here is not so much to get in, but to get out, due to limited time factors on this ever-moving Harmony Run.

We were treated to a wonderful Indian meal at the India Palace in the center of Lawrence in the evening. Balhar Choong so kindly took time out to host us and treat us with utmost hospitality. The food was superb and the staff and waiters were very friendly and welcoming. Again, the challenge presented here is to meet such nice people then have to say goodbye almost as soon as we have said hello.

The Cold Stone Creamery then offered us some delicious fresh made ice cream to cool down our Indian meal. Once again we were so grateful to the kindness and generosity shown to us by such thoughtful strangers. The challenge presented here with getting free, delicious ice cream is not to eat too much and have it affect our running pace the next day or the size of our clothes in the future.

As you can see, not much happened today in the way of ceremonies or meetings with people on the road. The natural surroundings, the sounds of nature, and the friendly honks and waves which happen everyday are more than enough to give us joy as we in turn try to offer something sweet yet simple while carrying the very special and meaningful World Harmony Torch through the streets and highways of this great land.

Arpan and the Harmony Team

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