Salem, Oregon's
Running & Walking Club Site
Home of
Willamette Valley Road Runners (WVRR)
www.WVRoadrunners.org.

 

Tai Chi in the park

Salem, Oregon is blessed with a large park, Bush Park, near the center of town. The park contains a Soap Box Derby track and a local university running track. Runners are blessed with a wonderful location to complete hill repeats, do track speed work, or enjoy scenic trail runs.

On a recent fall Sunday we decided to do hill repeats at the Derby track. Heading back down the path toward the Bush Barn, after the first hill, we encountered a gracious older Chinese couple. They were friendly, commented on the wonderful weather, and wished us a good run. We responded in our usual friendly way.

As we began another hill repeat the couple seemingly appeared on the side of the Derby Track, doing the slow graceful stretches of the Tai Chi motions one has seen from a distance; those which most of us would be wise to learn—quite a contrast to our flailing intense pace up the hill. We continued our hill run, and on a later hill repeat, we again saw the couple, this time at the top of the track, silhouetted against the trees as we ran up the hill. For all of our struggles and all of their ease, their efforts probably brought as much benefit to their spiritual and physical being with much more grace and dignity than our prattling noisy endeavor. They seemed fit and trim, certainly alert and vital, as did we.

The divergent extreme became more meaningful for as we repeatedly climbed the hill. We encountered a man walking at the side of the track, head down, and with a shuffling pace. At the first encounter we said hello and received no acknowledgment. He continued trudging. As we passed him a second time, he did mumble hello at our greeting. What a wonderful difference: the vocal, visibly active runners, the dignified Tai Chi Chinese couple and the grouchy fellow.

Normally one would give this chain of events no further thought, but these encounters allowed us to observe and run the gamut of cultural values and awareness. Life needs to be much simpler than we allow.

Well, the capper came on the last hill repeat. A woman was running briskly with her dog up the hill. As we passed, we greeted the woman and the dog. The animal seemed full of life, pulling away at the end of his leash, and just eager to run and play—not a care in the world.

What can you make of all this? Well, many people seem to miss the simplicity and joy of life. They just trudge about, involved in the minutiae of their lives. The almost mystical movements of the Chinese couple, very simply moving about in a beautiful park, stretching, smiling, and enjoying their surroundings was a lesson we may all find useful. The simplicity of the dog’s joy compared to the distracted behavior of the non-communicative man intensifies this very concept.

Wandering about, as we runners are so apt to do, gives us vignettes into life, available to everyone, but only enjoyed by a precious few.

 Burke Schmidt