Soul Runnings

 Hello Again! I am sitting here in the library on an unseasonably beautiful day, this 24th day of January, 2026. I had planned on just letting the words flow. So much is going on in my head.  So much has happened in my life. But today, time seems to be standing still. I wanted to talk about the relationship with my ex boyfriend. So many of my posts for a few years were about him.   His name was Ben.  I am smiling now as I type his name.  That surprises me.  Ben is gone now.  He passed away suddenly of a heart attack on December 5, 2025 . I thought I was ready to share our story.   But I am not ready yet. I need to. But it will come at a later time.   Smiling at his name was a hopeful first step.   During my grieving, I have found that I appreciate people more than ever before. My family, friends, coworkers, even strangers.  I look for goodness everywhere.    I need God now more than ever.  I ...

 Hello Friends! I am finally feeling pulled towards blogging again.  It's been 11 years since I first began this blog.  "Soulrunnings" is what I called it then. And it is still appopriate now! I just turned 64 on January 14th. So much has changed since my first post, May 12, 2015.  Here is the link, if you are interested: https://soulrunnings.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-time-is-now.html I opened my first blog post with these words: "Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow. It only saps today of its joy." ~Leo Buscaglia So many thoughts.  So many excuses.  So much time has gone by.  Truth is: I am 53 years old and obese.  Not pleasantly plump. Not carrying a few extra pounds.  Obese.   What a horrible word." Then I shared my BMI. I was 34.8 then. I am proud to say, that 11 years later with a considerable amount of effort, I am now a 32.  On the cusp between obese and overweight.  Progress is good! Here is a that was then, this...

 Hello Friends! Yesterday I meditated on Psalm 1. It is my favorite Psalm. Especially today's verse: By the end of this week, I hope to memorize Psalm 1 in it's entirety,  be able to rest items it and carry it in my heart.  Perhaps then I,  like the tree will be planted with my roots deep in God's Word, nourished by rivers of the water of life! I am so excited about this journey! Blessings to you. Talk to you tomorrow. Much Love, Zita 

Thursday, December 4, 2025 Good Morning Friends! Welcome to Day 1 of my Psalm of the Week study!  Today I focused on Psalm 1: 1-2.  I'm so excited! I've always been fascinated by the Psalms. Being a musician, I am particularly drawn to them sing the  Psalms are a book in the Bible of songs, prayers and poems.  Mostly written by David. Who we will meet later on! True confession: I have read the Psalms. I have listen to the Psalms being read.  I have heard them sung and chanted. But I have not really fully understood their meaning or their history.  I hope to begin to open my mind with this study. In addition, it is the longing of my heart to grow closer to God through praying and understanding the Psalms and to strengthen my faith and relationship with Him! The following post is from my Tiktok account on 11/07/2025. I realize people were most likely just viewing the graphic and not reading my commentary.  I am really doing this study for my own understa...

Hello Friends!   I'm Back!!! I kept this blog for almost 10 years! I woke up one day in May 2015, knowing I needed positive change.  Here is a copy of an excerpt of my first ever post, May 12,2015: "Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow. It only saps today of its joy." ~Leo Buscaglia So many thoughts.  So many excuses.  So much time has gone by.  Truth is: I am 53 years old and obese.  Not pleasantly plump. Not carrying a few extra pounds.  Obese.   What a horrible word."  (If you care to visit me in the past, here is a link to my first post:  https://soulrunnings.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-time-is-now.html ) I was hyper focused on losing weight in the beginning. But as I blogged and grew, I was focusing on not only my physical, but my mental and spiritual health as well. Fast forward to today.  I am 63 years old. I have 7 grandchildren! They are the light of my life! I am still overweight, but I have managed to maintain a weig...

Hello My Long Lost Friends! Or, perhaps it was I who was lost? And now I think I am beginning to find myself!  Under layers of fat, and self loathing!  How's that for an opening line!  Or perhaps the title of a novel:  Layers of Fat and Self-Loathing! Today I stepped on the scale.  I am weighing myself every morning these days. I was shocked! I told my partner the scale must be broken!  Yesterday I weight 186. Today 185! I have been on a strict intermittent fast for the past 10 weeks. I have officially lost 12 pounds!  And the best news is I think I not only can stick to this way of eating, I am actually beginning to really enjoy it!  And look how far I've come! I've been writing since May 12, 2015.  Over 8 years now!  I know this blog post says Year Four, Day 328, but there have been many pauses in blogging. For instance, when I am not pleased with progress or simply have no words! I was 53 when I first began blogging. I am now 61. I ho...

 Dear Friends: I apologize for my long absence. Frankly, I have had not much to say. And I have been a little frustrated and ashamed of my losing my battle of the bulge. I've been continuing to exercise, but it has been said you can't outrun a poor diet!  But now that spring is here (at least that's what the calendar says!  I have heard rumors of snow mixed with rain this weekend - the last weekend in March!), I am feeling a nudge towards rejuvenation! My daughter and 3 of my granddaughters have been meeting my mom for breakfast in Vancouver every week since my father passed away in December.  It is such a delight to have this regular family time.  After breakfast, I walked up to the Vancouver Public Library. One of my favorite libraries. I used to spend a lot of time here when I lived in Vancouver. Me at my favorite library! :) Embarrassingly enough, my weight had crept up close to the big 200, closer than I would like to admit.  I have been self soothing ...

Hello My Long Lost Friends! Where does the time go?  My original goal for this blog, was to post daily about my commitment to self-improvement.  It has been roughly 4 months since my last post!  Ah, but so much life has happened in these last 4 months! OK, I must admit I just disappeared from my blog for 20 minutes googling "What is Time?" I have often pondered the concept of time. I found some fascinating reading material.  You should try it sometime!   Most articles on the subject of time, defined it as such: "Physicists define time as the progression of events from the past to the present into the future. Basically, if a system is unchanging, it is timeless. Time can be considered to be the fourth dimension of reality, used to describe events in three-dimensional space. It is not something we can see, touch, or taste, but we can measure its passage." ( From the article, "What is Time? A Simple Explanation" from the website "ThoughtCo"_ https:/...

Hi Friends! Again, I apologize for my long absence.  No excuses. No shame. Just busy trying to find balance in this life. I've been quite successful about regular gym workouts. My goal is daily workouts. Mostly in the gym.  I am currently on Day 127!   I must say, if I skip a day of exercise, I feel miserable.   However, for all of my effort, I had not lost any weight!  Granted, I have become a tad more shapely.  Here are some pictures along my journey. The first one  was taken 02/07/2022 with my son. It was our 8th day of working out together. The second one was taken 09/07/2022.   The third was taken on 09/23/2022 after about a week of preparing most of my meals at home. And being pretty strict about no dairy, focusing on grains, veggies, fruits, legumes and Indian spices. At last, the scale moved a few pounds downward.   I am attempting at long last to follow the Ayurvedic principles of dieting.  It's not a fad. It...

 Hi Friends! I'm back. In a much timelier manner than usual!  I have a few more short stories featuring the "Zma in the Hood" today.  But first, the return of the "D" word.  Depression has been a companion of mine my whole life. He comes and goes. I've learned to accept it. This morning I woke up feeling blue, struggling with depression and anxiety. I know the feeling well:  It starts in my head. A low level throbbing around my temples. Then it radiates to my eyes. I feel tears "behind my eyes". Then the sensation travels to my gut. I feel queasy and uneasy. My pulse usually quickens. I am short of breath. But behind it all, is that empty, achy cavernous feeling around my heart. How's that for a description of depression? Well, that is how it feels to me at least.  This morning while I was airing out the apartment, trying to cool it off enough for an afternoon of teaching, I could feel it coming on strong. It actually started last night. A bit ...

 Hello Friends! Yet again I must apologize for my absence. There are times when I just cannot form meaningful words. I just keep putting one foot in front of the other.  In my experience, eventually the fog clears. And just now, it has started to lift.  So here I am!  Where do I begin?  Perhaps, as I usually do. Just start typing as see what comes up! I am sitting outside my humble little abode right at this very moment. It is 10:11 p.m. It is currently 84 degrees fahrenheit.  We are in the midst of a heat weave.  The high was 97 today.  The low is only expected to reach 66 degrees. Tomorrow and Friday the forecast is 101 degrees.  But come Monday, the temps will descent into normal Portland readings.  Hopefully we'll even get a smidgeon of rain! I'm not really complaining though.  I am a bit of a rebel, if you haven't noticed.  I rarely complain about the rain.  I get a bit snooty or in German: "Ich bin  hochnäsig", ...

 Hello Again Friends! What a beautiful morning, on this last day of May, 2022! It happens to also be my man's birthday!  I feel positive energy in the air.  Perhaps it is the sun's warm rays warming my little herb garden on my front patio.  I was overjoyed this morning as I opened the curtains and the windows to let in some fresh air. I peered out at my neighbor's cheerful red rose, and I spotted new sprouts in my herb garden!  I potted them a few weeks ago and do a happy dance every time I see a little sprout poke his nose out. At this point, my thyme, dill and cilantro has sprouted. I was worried with all the rain that they might not come up. There is not enough sun on my windowsill, so I put them outside.  I am thrilled to see they have survived, even a few of them! I started my morning with a strawberry/mango/pineapple/coconut milk with flax seed and collagen smoothie. Then I did my morning Qi Gong and a bit of hooping.  I have to admit I slept in,...