No running this week, Marathon Saturday, but GREAT news!
It has been 329 days since a fire tore through my home, destroyed most of my stuff and left me adrift in a hotel, before landing me in this awful rental house. But today was a major milestone in reconstruction, SHEET ROCK!
This is the best looking thing I’ve seen all day!
So, two days after the fire, I had been inundated with people asking me what they could do to help. After thinking it over, I decided I didn’t need help, insurance had stuff handled (and I was right!). So I figured, if folks were in a giving mood, they should give to those who truly need, the homeless, or anyone who is in need. I went on the bookfaces and I wrote the following:
Hi everyone!
So listen, you all obviously know my house was destroyed in a fire. I am so grateful for all the wonderful and caring people in my life, friends, family who have, without hesitation offered help and support in this difficult time. It’s amazing and humbling and I cannot thank all of you enough.
Without exception, everyone has asked “What can I do to help?” in some form or another. The fact is, while physically things are broken and destroyed (or just reek of smoke); the insurance company is taking care of all that. They will buy us new things. New clothes, new TVs, new computers, new beds, everything will be replaced or repaired. I get to live in a hotel until they find us a house to rent while ours gets rebuilt. It’s all good, it’s all taken care of. As far as emotionally, well it all is what it is. It sucks, but when do things not suck really? But it all got me thinking.
There are millions of people in this world who are not as fortunate as I am. They are sick, they are incapacitated, they are somehow not able to be housed. You may see them every day, you may think whatever you may want to think about them. I just think it’s terrible. So I want everyone who wants to help, to help them. The quick and easy way is, I did some research and found the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Over 90% of their budget is spent on their actual programs to prevent and end homelessness. Less than 10% is spent paying administrative costs and advertising. They took in a little over $3,000,000 last year. They get a Four Star rating from Charity Navigator and an A+ from Charity Watch.
You can find their website here: http://www.endhomelessness.org/ and read up about them from Charity Navigator here:http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm…
So if you want to, and you are able to, please send them a donation and if you want to donate in someone’s name, you can donate in the memory of Alfred Curci. Grandpa may be gone for a decade, but that was his house, he and his brothers-in-law built it, cared for it and remodeled it. His work kept me from being homeless for all these years.
If you can’t give money or don’t want to, perhaps time is what you have to give. Volunteer at your local soup kitchen or Habitat for Humanity. Find your local soup kitchen at a site like: http://www.foodpantries.org/ orhttps://www.dosomething.org/ and the link to volunteer for habitat is:http://www.habitat.org/getinv/volunteer_programs.aspx
Ok, so you have no money and you have no time, you can still do something. I want all my friends and family, all you completely great people in my life to do one simple thing. When you see a homeless person on the street, don’t judge them. Keep in mind, our system requires poverty. Even if we all were hard-working, well-adjusted, intelligent, nose-to-the-grindstone people, we would still need someone to flip burgers, take orders, work a cash register. The fact is, we don’t all “fit-in” and some of us are very sick, or very disabled in ways that may not be clear or visible. Yes, there will always be people who try to take advantage and “make money” pan-handling. Offer to buy them a meal, whatever, just don’t judge them. Don’t think you know better than them, or you know their story, or you know why they’re there. Because without the faculties you have, you could very easily be right where they are.
I’m lucky, I have insurance, I can hold a job, I can function in polite society. I don’t have to worry about too much beyond that. But there are profoundly troubled people out there, just trying to survive, and they need our help! Let’s take all this great energy, and let’s help them. Because just like I love each and every one of you, I love each and every one of them too. They are all my brothers and sisters, we are all one human family and I want them to be as OK as they can be too. With all our resources, with all our heart and determination, there is no reason for people to live out in the streets. There is no reason for people to live hand to mouth. Unless that is what they are truly happy doing.
So that is what everyone can do, help my brothers and sisters, help your brothers and sisters who are out there without any hope, without any help, without anybody. If you can’t help them, please don’t hurt them, don’t judge them. Smile and wave and let them know they are still people and they still matter. Remember to keep the #PMA!
Thank you everyone!
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Sunday funday!
OK, it wasn’t THAT fun, it was pretty hot. I took water with me on my run. Check it out. I took it super easy the last three miles. I am going to rest the whole week, with the Walkway Marathon in Poughkeepsie coming up on Saturday. Should be a good time. Did pretty much the whole weekend with no meat at all, I think the French Onion Soup my mom made had chicken stock. I have no control over that.
So anyway, on the run today, I got a twinge in the left calf, well at the very top. I’m not too concerned but it was a new feeling. So rest, relaxing, yoga, and work are on tap this week! Rock on!
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What a great Saturday!!!
Woke up, got the window fixed in the rental house. Let me explain, no too much, let me sum up (Princess Bride reference, crucial!). So there was a cracked window in the rental house and the dogs broke it months ago. I just covered it with a piece of cardboard, but this was the weekend to fix it. After this and stopping at the house, I did get my run in. 10 miles, was pretty good, but I didn’t bring water and I really should have. I really needed water badly today. Tomorrow I will not make that mistake.
First here is the damage
All cleaned up and ready for new glass
New glass, new glazing compound, all wrapped up
Then I went to my house and look what I found!
SHEET ROCK!
Yes, there will be walls this week! I can’t wait, then it’s floors and cabinets and moving back in! Maybe it won’t be a full year.
And then I got to cook dinner. I am so glad I am going vegetarian, I would have never messed with this Sweet Potato Black Bean Burger recipe. I made the whisky ketchup and everything and it is so epic. I cannot begin to tell you how wonderfully tasty this is. Oh I added turmeric.
Vegetarian burger of the Gods!
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A rare Friday run
What a great end to the week! I hope you’re doing great today too. I normally have Fridays as an off-day, but that I didn’t run Tuesday, I had to make up those miles, and I’ll take that pace! So here are the stats for that run. You’ll notice it’s another run tracking app, because the one I normally post is not working properly right now. I ended up with 3 different accounts for run tracking stuff. So got my work done today, did my yoga with Raghunath, ran, and just enjoyed stuff.
Oh, and since I mentioned it yesterday, I figured it was good for me to snap a pic and post the sign that my friends Natalie, David, Jen, and Monica made for me! Love you guys, thanks!
Sign Natalie, Monica, Jen, and David made for me at the 2015 New Jersey Marathon
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The Gil Can Run Show Episode 5
5 episodes! Are you kidding me? This week we talk new shoes, supporting each other, being positive, Alan Watts, Caitlyn Jenner, that we’re all really just the same thing expressing itself in different ways (no really), new shoes, did I mention new shoes? Being yourself, being genuine, and I think that covers it fairly. Oh and sharing this with your friends, because I don’t pay for advertising. So by all means, share with friends, spread the goodness, don’t keep me to yourselves, that’s selfish! And I’m allergic to selfish, or was that shellfish? Maybe it’s both!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS
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What a beautiful and productive day!
WARNING: There are pictures of a needle drawing blood from my arm in this post!
OK, so I woke up early, did my online yoga class (yay!), got myself to work (I don’t think work is productive), gave blood at the Red Cross Blood Drive at work (Yay! Saved up to three lives!) got home, ran 5 miles! Way to go me! On the down side of things, somebody got size C insoles for his shoes instead of size E, which is the size he needs. So I ran on the old insoles, giant bag of suck, and will have to exchange the new pair for the proper size tomorrow. Don’t I feel like a dummy? (And I pretty much am, good thing I’m cute!)
In all seriousness, I’m pretty beat, but I can’t wait to wake up tomorrow and do my next yoga class, get home from work and Woodbridge Running Co., and then get my miles in! By the way, if you’re in South Eastern/Central Connecticut and need some gear, Woodbridge Running Co. is the best place to get it! Just sayin’, you can tell them I sent you, it may not help you, but you can tell them anyway!
So should I post the graphic pictures from today’s blood letting? Which the first nurse bruised my arm, that never happens to me, I’m hurting a bit, but you can’t see in the pics.
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Tuesday no run, but we had fun kinda
Alright, day 2 of the 30 Day Men’s Yoga Challenge with Raghunath. Was a tough ten minutes. Can’t wait until tomorrow’s class! I did not run, it was cold and raining and I’ve had enough of bad weather. I ran a 50k in a snowstorm, and so I know I can do this stuff.
On a personal note, the house passed it’s mechanical and insulation inspection, next stop is sheet rock and floors! Does it get better than that? No, it really doesn’t. I’m really hoping we’re done and back in the house before a year has passed. I am very excited about the sudden progress and really want to be home and get my family settled before I start my next great adventure.
We are all here for adventure, no matter how we find it. We are expressions of the Universe intended to explore the Universe, to explore ourselves. I’ll talk more about this on this week’s episode, definitely need to talk about this! Alright, I got yoga in the morning, time for some sleep. Keep running all!
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HUGE Non-Running, yet also running, day!
OK, So much happened today apart from going to work, speaking of which I need to seriously start looking for a new job, because come September my contract is up and not subject to renewal. Enough about that mess.
New shoes! I’m so doing the new shoes dance. Always stay with what works. For me it’s the New Balance 940v2, Made in the USA, and orange Superfeet insoles. I put my previous pair side by side for comparison as to what 625 miles does to a shoe. Now I use the 940v2 because of the support for pronators. I am very bad, I could also use the NB 1260v4, which they started assembling in the USA again, so I may go there, because I have used both shoes and I actually like the 1260 better, but currently I have been using the 940 and with my schedule I will stick with it for now, as it’s what my body is used to. Maybe at the end of the year I will switch up. Check out the wear on the old pair!
More pictures, it’s like Show and Tell today. So, remember how I said I was both American and Italian, well I got my Italian Passport today. The most interesting part is, my US Passport is 8 years old, you get to see how different all the miles and the whole almost dead this has made me. It’s incredible, well plus the awesome beard! I feel so official now, I can’t wait to use it!
Finally, today was the start of the Men’s 30 Day Yoga Challenge, with Raghunath as the teacher. It was awesome, I suggest everyone go check it out. I feel more relaxed and so much better after just one 10 minute class, and it’s 10 minutes per day, for 30 days. It was cool and exciting and I liked it even though it was tough as. Seriously, I am not very flexible, I’ve often forsaken stretching in lieu of just running more, and it has been to my detriment. I feel like this may be the way forward for me. It was very cool! In honor of Raghunath’s awesome class and how excited I am, I present to you his band Shelter and their song “Message of the Bhagavat” off of their 1995 album Mantra:
Have an awesome day if you haven’t already! Monday is the first chance you get to have an awesome work week!
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