13th June 2012 - in Kathmandu for 21 days. Thats 3 weeks! What have I learnt, if anything at all? :)
- When you come to a new place, its a blank slate. You have no security blanket of a good reputation in the background, or what you have done in the past, none of that is written on your face when you meet strangers. All that you carry with you is what you can do, your ability to demonstrate love, and connect with another human being as a human being. Thats it. I'm learning everyday about the ability to form connections with another beating human heart, that crosses all barriers of language, religion, nationality, and viewpoints.
- Im deeply insecure in a new place. When I had to travel by the bus, my fear and insecurity was almost bursting out of my body, for all to see. My sense of confusion was written all over my face. But I surrendered to the universe, and fell back on what we all do at our most basic times of need; another human being. And I found an innocent 16 yr old boy, whose life ambition is to be an engineer, he had a clean, open face and a fresh, red tikka on his forehead from the morning's puja and was traveling with his father to visit his aunt. We connected along the bus ride and even though we may never see each other again, I think of Sarkar fondly. He helped me, a wild eyed, crazy foreigner who looks like a Nepali.
- Nothing that I truly want ever happens. And usually, exactly what Im hoping won't happen, will magically occur. The first few days I realised this, it brought up a slew of negative emotions ranging from anger, resistance, to self-pity and dollops of homesickness. But today as I tried to sit in meditation and tame my wild mind, I realised no force is effective. No control is ever real. And all I can do is surrender to what is. The reality of the moment. It allows me to dig into the deepest, coolest reserves of patience and resilience that hide within the well of my being, and when I can still myself, beautiful things always happen.
- I can see life in two ways; either everything that happens is ordinary, or its all entirely magical. I choose the latter. When Im feeling jaded, rundown, frustrated, not even the sight of Satyam (who Ive become soooooo fond of) can bring forth excitement in my heart. Not even Akki, Lucky can make my heart beat in happiness. Not even the sight of the beautiful, majestic mountains can soothe my tempestuous soul. But when Im equanimous, surrendered and open to reality as it manifests, everything that happens external appears to be a miracle. I definitely prefer that state :)
- When you come to a new place, its a blank slate. You have no security blanket of a good reputation in the background, or what you have done in the past, none of that is written on your face when you meet strangers. All that you carry with you is what you can do, your ability to demonstrate love, and connect with another human being as a human being. Thats it. I'm learning everyday about the ability to form connections with another beating human heart, that crosses all barriers of language, religion, nationality, and viewpoints.
- Im deeply insecure in a new place. When I had to travel by the bus, my fear and insecurity was almost bursting out of my body, for all to see. My sense of confusion was written all over my face. But I surrendered to the universe, and fell back on what we all do at our most basic times of need; another human being. And I found an innocent 16 yr old boy, whose life ambition is to be an engineer, he had a clean, open face and a fresh, red tikka on his forehead from the morning's puja and was traveling with his father to visit his aunt. We connected along the bus ride and even though we may never see each other again, I think of Sarkar fondly. He helped me, a wild eyed, crazy foreigner who looks like a Nepali.
- Nothing that I truly want ever happens. And usually, exactly what Im hoping won't happen, will magically occur. The first few days I realised this, it brought up a slew of negative emotions ranging from anger, resistance, to self-pity and dollops of homesickness. But today as I tried to sit in meditation and tame my wild mind, I realised no force is effective. No control is ever real. And all I can do is surrender to what is. The reality of the moment. It allows me to dig into the deepest, coolest reserves of patience and resilience that hide within the well of my being, and when I can still myself, beautiful things always happen.
- I can see life in two ways; either everything that happens is ordinary, or its all entirely magical. I choose the latter. When Im feeling jaded, rundown, frustrated, not even the sight of Satyam (who Ive become soooooo fond of) can bring forth excitement in my heart. Not even Akki, Lucky can make my heart beat in happiness. Not even the sight of the beautiful, majestic mountains can soothe my tempestuous soul. But when Im equanimous, surrendered and open to reality as it manifests, everything that happens external appears to be a miracle. I definitely prefer that state :)
No comments:
Post a Comment