Thursday, January 5th, 2012

Ice Under You

Toronto, Ontario

Along Moore Park Ravine it has become a virtual skating rink but with pedestrians sliding about. Over the years I've taken to slipping trials and even learned how to fall although there's no guarantee that its a one hundred percent smooth landing once hitting the ice. For the most part Krishna has protected me.

I recall, as a kid being an ice slider talking to trekking of a different kind over frozen ponds, rivers and lakes. Dad used to take us kids for a Sunday drive (spin is more like it) with our 50's Dodge on Lake Erie. Fortunately we never went under with the car. There was no casualty.

The saying 'treading on thin ice' could be analogous to our spiritual life when our sadhana practice is not strong and the deepening of our devotion has a hard time to manifest. Some practitioners depart from the spiritual path altogether after meeting a dark hour. We sometimes refer to that drop of faith as a 'fall down'.

After yesterday's episode with the lady and the wedding gown, I stopped suddenly on my tracks to see a former avid follower standing on the sidewalk chatting with someone. I stood there trying to get his attention to make a cordial greeting, a 'Hare Krishna', a 'Happy New Year". I hadn't seen for some time this young person whose past participation illustrated so much enthusiasm. Once I got his attention he walked away and expressed a type of denial with a hell of a snarl. "What happened?" I wondered. "A loss of faith?"

It hurt to see the negative response, the rejection. To me it registered as a walking away from God. I turned and moved on completing the day's walking obligation feeling that even if a person spiritually slips and falls, he/she can make their way back up again. There's always another chance, another opportunity. Any endeavour made, devotionally makes a permanent mark. It's not that if you don't make the grade this time around that you get thrown into a furnace where ice can't survive.

What I learned is that some people chose thin ice to tread, some chose thick. It's always good to be safe than sorry. You want ice under you, not on top of you.

9 Km