worrying about how the person I’m chasing down is feeling. I can’t beat back those feelings or desires, but I know they’re not what really matters. What matters is the place of effortlessness, of selflessness. There might be many paths to that magical region—prayer and meditation come to mind. My way leads up to and past the point of absolute, maximal effort. It’s only when I get to a place where all my physical and psychological warning lights are flashing red, and then run beyond it, that I hit the sweet spot. I know people who get there on a 5-mile jog or by mindfully chopping a carrot.
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