Flo, Yola, Rekha, me, Eugen, and Sheila at Rekha and Eugen's homeI just met Flo and Yola, who left yesterday to join and Artists' caravan, 150 artists traveling through Northern India.
Rekha and Eugen live in Chennai. I met them almost three years ago on Om Beach in Karnataka, and have loved the opportunity to renew our friendship in person.
Sheila is an old and very good friend who used to lead the Global Studies program with me at Evergreen School in Seattle. She also left yesterday to return to her work in Iraq, presently inspired by her work to develop and support opportunities for women there.
Today is the first day of the second half of my sabbatical year, and my last day in India, so it is a time to reflect (and maybe get one last Indian haircut and massage).
Images come to mind:
-A barefoot policeman outside the entrance to the temple in Madurai
-A street stall man put his hand on his heart when I told him I really liked his samosa chat
-The young beggar man Maykal who had nothing, not even the ability to walk due to polio, but with such joy in his heart, all he was worried about was if he could beg enough money to help his older brother pay the dowry to marry
What I have learned:
-To live with an open heart
-To hold on with an open palm
-To not look so hard, for "everything is coming to me."
-To not having to always understand. The chaos in the streets (where opposites exist side by side - cows, camels, hand drawn carts, and BMW's, the horns blaring, the smell of spices and sewers) and the foreignness of the culture have led me to this understanding. India's slogan should be "Incredible India - Why Ask Why"
What I am thankful for:
-The time to read, think, contemplate, understand, and be
-A renewed appreciation for who I am - my life, my family, my opportunities
-I appreciate the opportunity to have met some incredible people and make new friends, to see amazing sights, to explore my feelings and my attachments and gain a greater understanding of how I have created the reality I experience
-I appreciate the sense of connection I feel to all that is around me, and the moments of "oneness" or "inspiration" when the "me" disappears
-I appreciate the opportunity to live, at times, without expectations, and the knowledge that the only step I have is the one I am on, and the only step I can take is the next one.
Images come to mind:
-A barefoot policeman outside the entrance to the temple in Madurai
-A street stall man put his hand on his heart when I told him I really liked his samosa chat
-The young beggar man Maykal who had nothing, not even the ability to walk due to polio, but with such joy in his heart, all he was worried about was if he could beg enough money to help his older brother pay the dowry to marry
What I have learned:
-To live with an open heart
-To hold on with an open palm
-To not look so hard, for "everything is coming to me."
-To not having to always understand. The chaos in the streets (where opposites exist side by side - cows, camels, hand drawn carts, and BMW's, the horns blaring, the smell of spices and sewers) and the foreignness of the culture have led me to this understanding. India's slogan should be "Incredible India - Why Ask Why"
What I am thankful for:
-The time to read, think, contemplate, understand, and be
-A renewed appreciation for who I am - my life, my family, my opportunities
-I appreciate the opportunity to have met some incredible people and make new friends, to see amazing sights, to explore my feelings and my attachments and gain a greater understanding of how I have created the reality I experience
-I appreciate the sense of connection I feel to all that is around me, and the moments of "oneness" or "inspiration" when the "me" disappears
-I appreciate the opportunity to live, at times, without expectations, and the knowledge that the only step I have is the one I am on, and the only step I can take is the next one.
What a connection you have with India!
ReplyDeleteAmong some suggested phrases for contemplation/meditation in the book I'm reading is this one that reminded me of you:
"the next step is the destination"
I love you!
C.