Doors Open
Toronto, Ontario
The ravine is graced with nettle, ivy, lilacs so fragrant, a wild garlic-mustard of strong scent and low and medium cover and much more of what I can't identify. There is a tamarack, a deciduous conifer that sheds needles in the fall. Upon emerging from this trail I entered the residential enclaves. One family relaxing on their veranda spotted me.
"You've been hiding." remarked the woman from her easy chair. She has been seeng me over the years on japa meditation walks which later evolved into marathon walks.
It was a day for walking for many as the city had establised its tenth annual event of 'Doors Open', a program which welcomes the public to see historic buildings. As I ascended the steps to 243 Avenue Road, our temple, I could feel the excitement. Guests had been entereing all day, coming to hear about the architect's skill and the beauty they had created. What seemed to be of greater intrigue to the public was the newly adopted guardians of this limestone structure which was first erected in 1896 by a Presbyterian group. Now managed and owned by the Hare Krishnas, the public has come to find us to be exotic and different.
I heard one person remark that thirty years ago she used to see us on the street and perceived us as a collections agency. Our tour guide had a laugh and explained that whatever aggression was there has been toned down. Another person after munching on pakoras, hearing from us, seeing the sights of the building and taking in the vibes, remarked, "I now know why so many of my contemporaries came to join Krishna Consciousness back in those days."
20 Km
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