I Would Rather Be Running...
We have taken up residence in café Ole… We pay for our ‘office space’ with smoothies, coffees and - post long run on the wild lands of St Lucia – chocolate brownies too…
There is trouble with our internet at home; and so we have de-camped to here…
It is a lovely scene to be immersed in and a part of…
The sun is setting and has an inky hue to it with streaks of golden light; the masts of yachts and the outlines of trees are etched against it, like dark charcoal sweeps of an artist’s hand.
Groups of people are sitting at tables by the harbour’s edge drinking, eating, talking and laughing… There is a lot of laughter, sudden loud bursts, and the lights are twinkling.
The trade in the main here comes from those who have anchored their boats for a while; the clientele are ever changing, but they have in common an ocean, outdoor, outgoing energy and the laughter – they seem to be having a lot of fun.
They understand how to ‘go with the flow’, their journeying influenced by the elements, the winds, the forces of nature… I have just overheard one man talking on facetime… ‘I’m stuck in St Lucia because of high winds…’
It has been a very wild and windy day today… Rain has danced in every so often with great energy and force, and then disappeared again within minutes; we were grateful for this today as we ran once again to the land of the wild horses, the wild seas and rocky roads…
We left early… The moment dawn had swept in, ten minutes from dark to light… We’d sat awaiting her arrival on the balcony, drinking a pre-run coffee and tea.
The moment she was here, we set off to explore…
And in our exploration we discovered that we are learning loops, we recognize where we are, and this unknown land is becoming familiar and known.
We hardly saw a soul; vast expanse of untamed beauty; empty and rugged and bright with the energy of freedom.
Suddenly in the distance we saw four people on bikes. ‘Lets follow their route…’ I said, ’I would rather be running on this than mountain biking…!’ I added… We ran along the winding path, with the cacti growing tall beside us like giants… We rounded a corner and our mountain bikers in the distance, were there, stopped, and looking at the views, taking a rest… Two English women were being guided by two guys from St Lucia.
We talked about the joy of the beauty of the land; and they took a photo of us…
‘Fellow travellers’ I said and on we ran…
Almost two hours later, we had run back to Pigeon Island having decided to climb to the top again, to the top of the world in celebration of everything; of the moment; in celebration of silence…
Today we had run mainly without conversation… And so we celebrated the joy of being connected in silence with another soul, by climbing to the top of the world…
As we made our way down, we spotted a group of people getting ready to abseil thirty feet to the sea below…
‘Rather them than me’ I said - ‘I’d rather be running…’
We clambered up a rocky path and appeared beside them… it was our English women and their guides and a new abseiling instructor too...!
Fellow travellers…
We greeted one another joyfully and expressed appreciation at one another’s feats; our energies had met and mingled and connected as we journeyed but as Anadi and I ran down the hill I knew for sure….
I would rather be running!
