Coconut Grove, Florida
A Small Band of Us
A small band of us trekked to the ocean, and on our way we passed by a pizza
shop which looked to be a 24/7 outfit. The owner of the shop came out and
broke out into a chant when he saw us. It turns out that he knows one of
our boys, a monk who passed away no less than two years ago.
“I love that guy,” said the pizza man with his hand to his heart.
“You mean, Siddha Vidya, my god brother monk?”
“Yeah, that’s the guy, that’s his name,” he said. “I’ll make some
pizzas for you guys,” and we declined saying it’s a little early in the
morning. It was 5:30 AM.
Those of us who walked together knew of this extraordinary soul – Siddha
Vidya, who made an impression on so many people with his visits to shop
owners. He made so many friends with all the people he had met.
Now, we continued on through Peacock Park, where hippies frequented, played
Frisbee and enjoyed the food and fun that Krishna monks provided in the
‘70’s. Vishnujana Swami, a most renowned monk of his time, drew the
crowds.
Much later in the day, or let’s say at 1-ish, a second group of us made our
way to the docks for a boat ride and swim. The operator of the boat
called “Pearson” with the Shake A Leg establishment, was one of those guys that
used to hang out at Peacock Park with the Krishnas in the ‘70’s. Being
sensitive about our needs, he took us to a beach area away from the sex, drugs,
and rock and roll scene, bless his heart. Hence, we played hard in the
water. I still prefer fresh water though. Jambavan, from Michigan,
was with us, and told about his father’s t-shirt, which held a caption in
support of the Great Lakes, where there’s fresh water. The caption read,
“No Sharks, No Salt, No Worries”. When I asked the operator of the boat
about sharks in the area, his facetious response was, “Whoever amongst you is a
poor swimmer, just keep him near you.”
The evening wrapped up at the ISKCON Centre with Jambavan and I doing a duet
on the Gita’s message. I will also say that the kirtan that
preceded it was electrifying.
May the Source be with you!
8 KM
No comments:
Post a Comment