This month, the sky has been grey in California and the air quality has been bad to the point that some days schools were closed and we were advised to work from home. Some study claims that the air quality, as a result of Camp Fire, is equivalent to smoking 11 cigarettes. If it is this bad hundreds of miles away from the fire, it is hard not to feel for those families who got displaced. Rain comes later in the month, and brings some relief.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I volunteered in the CityTeam activities to help families to pick up bags of groceries, Turkey or Chickens for the upcoming days. After three hours of lifting bags after bags, my arms and shoulder were sore, at the same time, it was rewarding to think about thousands of families having the ingredients for big meals over the holiday season. My husband spared a day to learn how to fix bikes and help to fix bikes. Learning a skill takes effort, after a day, he fixed half of a bike. This Thanksgiving is special as my son is coming home for the holiday from his freshman year in college.
I read another book on running this month. Many past years I had that new year wish to be able to run a mile, and failed. A few of my acquaintances amazed me when they completed marathon run. I am still not much of a runner, I just keep trying and at one point in time, the body starts to respond better. I can manage 2 to 3 miles of slow jogging on the treadmill two three times a week; and 5K is something I feel comfortable with. There were a few “breakthrough” moments. A few years ago, I was in a company which assigned me a “health coach”, and the health coach got me install “C25K’ (Couch to 5K”) app on my phone, that was like giving me a tool or training plan, with a personal coach encouraging you along the way. With some success, I talked my family to do a 5K together on a New Year Day, Needless to say, I was the one who needed to prepare for it months before; and was the slowest to complete the run, yet it was such a great memory. I could not pinpoint a specific moment when I started to feel very refreshed after each jog. Jogging becomes my path of a good cardiovascular exercise and a good day ahead. I am still not much of a runner, but I am further along than before.
Many Lives, Many Masters, 20th anniversary edition
By Brian L. Weiss
This book was recommended by a panelist in a career conference that I recently attended. The panelist looks super contented as a person, and seems to know exactly what her purpose of life is. Who would not admire having a North Star in a life journey?
This book is an account of the patient-psychiatrist interactions in which the patient, in her hypnotised state, reminisce her many lives over the last thousands of years, and different lessons from masters as she transitions from death to another life. Among the unbelievables, the patient was also able to recognize people in her current lives in her past lives. It is a book about reincarnation and a book on equal possibility in the pursuit of the final destiny.
We are often skeptical and fearful towards things that do not comply with the framework of a rational mind. Cited as the true story of a prominent psychiatrist, it still reads like a novel.
The book gives a lot to think about – if death does not do people apart, and is not the end, but a transition, what would we do differently in how we approach our daily life?
Run Forever: Your Complete Guide to Healthy Lifetime Running
By Amby Burfoot
My third book on running, after “What I talk about when I talk about running” and “Born to Run”. Unlike the other two, this one is more a “how to” book from a Boston Marathon Champion.
It contains many practical tips for all level of runners, helping people to get started, good tips on diet, and work itself towards the more advanced training, and the adjustment required for our running as we age. It is a complete guide to healthy lifetime running for all ages.
It is an enjoyable and good read for everyone whether he or she is a runner or not. It is not just about running, but about how to live a good life both mentally and physically for as many years as possible.
oliviatamccue 
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