Soul Runnings

Psalm 119:9-16 New International Version (NIV) ב Beth 9  How can a young person stay on the path of purity?      By living according to your word. 10  I seek you with all my heart;      do not let me stray from your commands. 11  I have hidden your word in my heart      that I might not sin against you. 12  Praise be to you, Lord ;      teach me your decrees. 13  With my lips I recount      all the laws that come from your mouth. 14  I rejoice in following your statutes      as one rejoices in great riches. 15  I meditate on your precepts      and consider your ways. 16  I delight in your decrees;      I will not neglect your word. Dear Friends: Today is my last day of blogging and vlogging about the pandemic. I blogged for 81 days, since th...

                                                    Psalm 119 (KJV) 1ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. 2Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. 3They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. 4Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. 5O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! 6Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. 7I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. 8I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly. "Aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and signifies the number one. Aleph indicates the Oneness and Unity of the Creator. It hints that beyond the illusion of separation and duality is unde...

"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being" ~ Genesis 2:7 (NKJV) Breath has been on my mind a lot lately. I have been establishing a regular morning Qi Gong practice, which centers around the breath. "Qi" can be literally translated as "breath". "Qi means "breath" or "air" and is considered the "vital-life-force" or "life-force energy."  Qigong practitioners believe that this vital-life-force penetrates and permeates everything in the universe. It corresponds to the Greek "pneuma," the Sanskrit "prana," or the Western medical conception of "bioelectricity."   https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/qigong  I find it interesting that "qi" corresponds to the Greek word "pneuma", because breath is so prevalent in the bible.  Pneuma is the Greek word for brea...

Dear Friends: Today has been hard.  I am grieving. Yes, there are more deaths in the US due to the coronavirus. 101,700.  Up about 1,500 from yesterday. Yes, there was another outbreak, this time in Fairview, Oregon at Townsend farms. Over 50 people infected. Apparently it was the second outbreak. The first was not reported. https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2020/05/coronavirus-outbreak-hits-townsend-farms-in-fairview.html . Yes, it's hot. Nearly 90 degrees today. But that is not why I am crying. I am in tears over a man I did not know. I am grieving the senseless, shocking death of George Floyd. I want to share a little moment I had this morning that really opened my eyes.  It was a brief encounter, but in it, I saw the plight of the black man in our country. I stood outside Walmart waiting for the doors to open this morning. It was 7:30 a.m. I stood behind a tall, young black man. On his face, he wore a black, Raider's mask. I smiled at him (...

Hello Friends: I just got a text alert that Multnomah County in Oregon finally has a plan to start reopening in Phase 1 with a goal of June 12th. Yay Portland! Washington county is aiming at June 1st. https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2020/05/multnomah-county-targets-june-12-for-phase-1-reopening.html Here in Clark County in Vancouver, Washington, we are in Phase 1 limbo as the outbreak at the fruit processing plant is being investigated. https://www.columbian.com/news/2020/may/26/clark-countys-phase-2-application-on-indefinite-pause/ I am still struggling with fatigue and joint pain.  I am cutting back on Diet Coke, sodium and sugar.  I signed up for another Qi Gong class with Lee Holden: "Qi Gong for Healthy Joints".  I plan on beginning every day with Qi Gong, before my walk in the park with Honey Dog. I'm also trying to read at night with classical music playing, rather than binge watching television programs. I got a tad addicted to a BBC series -...

Hello Friends: Its been 76 days since the World Health Organization declared covid-19 a pandemic. As of 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, 100,136 Americans have lost their lives to this virus.  https://ncov2019.live/data That equals approximately 1,318 deaths a day. Of course, it has not been equally spread out. This virus has turned life as we know it (or "LAWKI" as my college astronomy professor said - I wonder what he would say about the coronavirus?) upside down. Whatever side you are on politically, that is a lot of loss. I have no more words. Only prayer. Talk to you tomorrow. Love, Zita

Dear Friends: I do not have the energy to say much today. I will be doing my vlog from my back porch after my Qi Gong and hooping. Then I will retreat to my basement cave. I am going to make sure I use my cpap tonight. I have not been using it lately. Sometimes when my allergies are flaring up, the cpap drives my crazy - since my sinuses are clogged and the idea behind the cpap is to breathe in and out through your nose. I just got a text alert. There are now 65 people who have tested positive at a fruit plant here in Vancouver, WA. So Clark County is stalled in Phase I. https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2020/05/coronavirus-outbreak-now-totals-65-employees-at-vancouver-fruit-processor.html There are 99,459 deaths from covid19 in our country this Memorial Day. https://ncov2019.live/data I imagine we will hit 100,000 in the next few days. The NY Times listed names in their Sunday edition. " Simone Landon, assistant editor of the Graphics desk, wante...

Dear. Friends: Its a beautiful sunny day today. Too bad Clark County had an outbreak! We are stuck in Phase I here in the Couve! https://www.columbian.com/news/2020/may/23/clark-countys-phase-2-application-shelved-in-light-of-firestone-outbreak/ This will be one of my shortest posts ever. Most tired am I. Luckily I made it to park for my vlog: Talk to you tomorrow. Sweet dreams! Be well! Love, Zita

Hello Friends! Today is day 60 of  "Stay Home - Stay Safe" here in Washington. Amazing. 2 months of quarantine. And the virus still rages. I've been blogging daily since the coronavirus was declared a pandemic. On 3/27/2020 there were 93,105 known cases of covid-19 and 1,516 deaths in the US. Here's a link to my blog on that date: https://soulrunnings.blogspot.com/2020/03/year-four-day-267-pandemic-times-day-16.html Today there are 1,647,782 cases and 97,036 deaths in our country.  In a little over a month there are 1,554,677 more cases and 95,520 more deaths related to this pandemic. Numbers put it into perspective, no? I have lost a few friends and family online (at least FB followers) who claim these figures are not accurate and call me a "brainwashed, liberal democrat".  Especially since I took a stand on the opening of churches this weekend.  President Trump deemed churches "essential" and ordered them to open...

Hi Friends! Day 59 of quarantine.  Tomorrow will be 60 days. Two whole months!  And I have blogged and logged every single day! I've had plenty of practice. This daily blog I started nearly 5 years ago has done wonders for my self-discipline.  I hope it isn't making creating OCD tendencies. I seem to thrive on ritual now. Especially when it involves daily logs. Like my intermittent fasting log. I have been practicing intermittent fasting now for 10 months. And I log my eating window and fasting times every single day. I also keep track of my son's time in prison. I am writing a personal blog, for his and my eyes only, for each day he is incarcerated. And I log my daily walk/runs with Honey Dog. OCD - Who me? Oh, yeah. And today I completed the 5 Day Jumpstart Qi Gong program with Lee Holden. It was extraordinary! I have so much more energy and flexibility. In 5 days! I am going to enroll in another course pronto! Here are some benefits of Qi Gon...

Good Evening Friends! I had a bit of a paradigm shift today. I am frankly weary of obsessing over the pandemic. I am going to shift my focus to my Qi Gong practice. I talk about it on my vlog: Here is the link I promised to Lee Holden's site, and and article about "yin": https://www.holdenqigong.com/tao-yin-blog/ And here is my latest Qi Gong/ Hooping video. Day 241! And now I sleep.. "to sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come" ~ William Shakespeare  Talk to you tomorrow! Be well. Love, Zita

Wow! What a difference 4 hours makes! I was a tad frustrated this morning, seeking answers on the question of when and how Oregon was reopening. So I walked away, intending to grab Honey Dog and head out on our mile jaunt through the park. But lo, and behold - Honey Dog was fast asleep! Good thing! Because I was able to do Day 3 of Lee Holden's Free 5 Day Qi Gong Jumpstart program. It made such a difference. I felt more balanced, calm, and flexible afterwards. During one of the stretches, Lee said that Qi aging increases vitality, combats aging and increases inner peace. Note to self: Begin every day with Qi Gong! You can find many DVDs and YouTube classes. I really enjoy Lee Holden's style. You can find his 5 Day Jumpstart at: https://pages.holdenqigong.com/5-day-qi-challenge-opt-in I think I will end here tonight. On a positive note. I don't know about you, but I need an extra dose of positivity today! Talk to you tomorrow! Love, Zita

Hi Friends:  After I posted my blog last night, I read conflicting information about the re-opening of Oregon. Yesterday, when I posted that all of Oregon was reopening, including Portland, but only stand alone retail stores, daycare and day camps for kids, I was referring to this article from the Oregonian:   https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2020/05/all-of-oregon-including-portland-can-reopen-friday-to-some-extent-questions-answered.html I had read that Governor Brown had extended Oregon's State of Emergency until July 6th. But that is different than her stay at home order. Which is in effect until "further notice". https://www.kgw.com/mobile/article/news/health/coronavirus/oregon-state-of-emergency-versus-stay-home-order-whats-the-difference/283-95a91ace-9580-40ee-a8b6-727c6bec3216 Of course, then there was the judge who said Kate Brown's restrictions were null and void: "A judge in rural Oregon tossed out statewide coronavirus restric...

Good Evening Friends! Good news for both Washington and Oregon! Clark County has been approved to apply for Phase 2 of re-opening! This includes beauty salons, barbershops and tattoo parlors. Restaurants can begin to re-open, but at less capacity. The article I read suggested 50%. I am sure these business will be inundated with rules and regulations. All of Oregon will be open this week, if it is not already (my news source was confusing on the date). This includes Portland. Business that will be open are retail (not malls, only stand-alone stores), childcare, summer school and day camps.  Restaurants will need state permission before they open. I am not sure I am ready to venture into any of these establishments, just yet. Still, I am happy for them. I am happy for us. Hope is among us! I am still being cautious - watching the news, taking care of my health. Luckliy, I am able to work for home and work for my room and board by watching my granddaughter. I am no...

Hello Friends! I am feeling quite spritely today! I started my day with 20 minutes of Qi Gong, led by Lee Holden on his 5 Day Qi Gong Jumpstart Challenge video. It's free! I've rented his DVD's before from the library. He is very down to earth, calm and compassionate in his style. I highly recommend Qi Gong. I think practicing Qi Gong breathing and stretching exercises every day for the past year or so has alleviated my asthma! That and ginger-lemon-turmeric tea and Flonase and my Q-Var inhaler. But, seriously. Qi Gong. It is free. And it has no side effects! Here's the link, if you are curious, or interested. Lee Holden 5-day Qi Gong Challenge I tell you what - Honey Dog and I had the best walk afterwards! AND I was pleased to spot a flock of Canadian Geese in the middle of the filed. Honey Dog was pleased too! But they wouldn't let us get too close. So I wasn't able to get very good pictures. But there are a plethora of Canadi...