Cement

I see a lot of young people jogging on cement sidewalks.  Because they have young bodies, this surface does not bother them.  Either they don't read or they do not pay attention to the warnings about running on cement or concrete.  Soon enough, as they get a bit older, their bodies break down under this pounding, and they stop running.  They say, "My body gave out on me."  Why blame your body?  The problem was your mind and your will.  You decided to run on concrete.  Your body, if cared for, for many people, can run for many years.  Run on soft surfaces or at least black top roads.  These surfaces may not be right outside your front door, but they are around.  

I find the reason for my problems are based upon my thinking and my self-will, and a bit of laziness.  But I blame something else, like the young runner who blames their body for failing them.  Reading spiritual books, listening to a guide, is like someone who consults the running literature to find out what to do and not to do.  When I simply listen, blindly, to my mind, or do whatever my will wants, bad things seem to catch up with me.  At least I have found it so.  See you on the soft trails, as I pray for the concrete minds out on the sidewalks.