Enjoy a short video - Oregon to Chicago

Fortunately I started my morning run today the same place as where I ended my run yesterday afternoon, by the Atlantic Ocean on the coast of southern New Hampshire. It was a very special and powerful way to end and start a run, both times visiting the waters of this great body of salt water. Although the temperature is still quite chilly, I jumped in yesterday and swam around for more than five minutes quite happily. It reinvigorates one’s energy to be cooled down by such an immense and powerful body of water with all its life and vastness. Also, the memory of having left the Pacific Ocean not too long ago and thinking of the time when I could immerse myself in the Atlantic Ocean created a marvelous sense of progress and gratitude at the same time.

Making our way along the coastline into Massachusetts, we finally made it to the great city of Boston. This city is very special to me for a variety of reasons, but the two most important ones are the fact that my older brother has lived in this area for over three decades and that it is home to the oldest marathon and my favorite, the Boston Marathon, now 111 years old and still going strong.

Our first stop in the area was in Everett at the Glendale Park where we met about 60 children from the City Works Youth Program. We are grateful to Kate O’Neill and her wonderful staff of counselors for the fantastic preparation of the children and all of their artwork to greet us as we entered the park. They created many beautiful and meaningful signs that reflected some very serious thought about harmony and our Run as well.

We had a long program with talks, skits, singing, dancing, questions and answers, and of course running with the Torch as well as making wishes with the Torch. The favorite activity is the Harmony Train at the end. Bill, one of the counselors, was the ‘engine’ as he carried the Torch in the front and all the children followed in line as the train wound its way around a serpentine path in the big playground. The best way to describe it would be with a comment I heard one of the counselors make during the Train. She said, “That’s too cute”.

The children are always the life of the ceremony, but it is even more enjoyable and meaningful when the adults get involved with the children in their participation and expression of harmony and friendship.

The same thing happened again on a smaller scale at the Boys and Girls Club of Club of Charlestown in Boston. John Killoran, Chris Foran and Kathleen Foley were instrumental in getting the children prepared for our visit there as well. We did not have as many children or as much space as the last location, but nevertheless the spirit was just as strong. The children asked very meaningful questions and seemed quite interested in everything we talked about. We had our full program and even had them participate in some of our skits in which the children would judge the skit as representing harmony or no harmony. It is a simple and effective way to get across the point of harmony in day to day living.

We ended our day with a great meal prepared by our good friend and local resident, Begabati as well as Suchesta and Sangati. Begabati and Sangati also put us up for the night, opening their homes to us as if we lived there. In these last days of our four month epic journey it is very encouraging and helpful to have such great friends offer so much to us. We can never forget Boston and all those around here who truly have made the World Harmony Run a successful and encouraging

Arpan and Team Harmony

Jumping ahead the Rhode Island Coordinators set up an event in Coventry...

The town of Coventry in southern Rhode Island is a longstanding friend of the World Harmony Run. Dating back to the earliest runs, the town officials and the town's parks and recreation department summer camp program have warmly greeted the World Harmony Run. Since the core team arrives in Coventry tomorrow after the kids in the summer day camp have already gone home, we decided to bring the Harmony Run to the kids today at their "end of summer" big picnic at Briarpoint Beach.

Our local torch, Khipra, Frank, Santaru and Sharani arrived at the beach and were warmly greeted with a proclamation naming August 10th World Harmony Run Day by Ted Jendzejec the President of the Coventry Town Council along with the brand new Town Manager Richard Kerbel. Guy Lefebvre, Coventry Recreation Department Director and Jason Licciardi, the Program Supervisor for the Coventry Recreation Department had the multitude of kids all organized to pass the torch and talk with Frank and Khipra about what harmony is and how to foster it in our lives.

The winning posters from a Harmony Run poster contest held during summer day camp were o-n display and two big murals about the Harmony Run provided a wonderful backdrop for our gathering. The children were quiet and attentive during the presentation and chimed in with wonderful responses to the interactive part of the presentation. In fact, when Frank asked the children how to cultivate harmony in their families with their siblings and parents, one very tiny girl piped in first with the answer "forgiveness."

Overall, the event added another link in the long chain of support from Coventry for the World Harmony Run. We are especially grateful to Richard Kerbel for joining us since he just had his first day on the job as Town Manager two days ago. Also big thanks to Guy Lefebvre who can give a chronology of all the different Harmony Run events held with his department's kids as if they happened yesterday instead of as long as 20 years ago.

What a wonderful warm-up for the much anticipated arrival of the core team tomorrow! Thanks Coventry!

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