Friday 2 September 2016

Saturday, August 27th, 2016

Saturday, August 27th, 2016
Owen Sound/Maple, Ontario

The Real World

The Hanna kids are the kind of kids I like for their naturalness.  Their grandpa, my personal peer and friend, Garuda Vahan, the support person for my third walk across Canada, has done a marvelous job training both boys and girls in a more hopeful lifestyle.

Along with the late Krsna Karuna, his wife, their own offspring got to know the true dimensions of life and they have succeeded in passing on those treasures to the next generation.

By two dimensions, I mean the best that the physical and spiritual worlds have to offer.  The kids were exposed to and walked nature trails, swam the fresh-water lakes all around, and to spice life up, got to know kirtan, the ancient practice of chanting and drumming, serenading the Divine.

We did a bit of that today with Garuda’s clan, and also with dear friend, Drupada.  With Nanda, Dharma, Manasi-Ganga (all of Indian origin), Nick and I drove north to this Huron Lake-bordered town of 22,000 to explore with those not-so-stereotypical Canadians for a 5.5 km walk and a swim at the beach.

I say “not-so-stereotypical” because most folks ride in cars and indulge in gadget playing.  This group in Owen Sound has a weekly sanga involving food and chanting, and going to the out-of-doors.

I have personally been encouraging our Indian devotees to go for the Canadian experience, and so as a result, a mentor of theirs from Mississauga, Raja Suya, took the group on their first camping trip to the Niagara Escarpment, not so long ago.  With tents to house them, the thunder, lightning and rain of the night put everyone to the test.  In the end, the outdoor eating the next morning, and the togetherness, compensated for the evening scare.

I would like to say to everyone, “Put on a pair of shoes, get out the door and experience the real world.”

May the Source be with you!

10 km

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