Wednesday 31 May 2017

Monday, May 29, 2017

Brule , Nebraska

Memories, Memorials

The purpose of early trekking at 3:30 a.m. is to get the mileage in before the sun truly burns in the afternoon. Well, the plan paid off. By noon, I had completed the day’s quota of twenty miles.
Some highlights were the cool air and the cool coyotes. Their yipping and yapping was something to cause me to daydream. I reminisced about early morning singing as is done in our ashrams or temples. I would not say that these wild dogs compensate for my missing the chants by monks, but they did demonstrate togetherness, synergy and a sense of community.
Our gang of three are not totally absent of song and mantras. Daily we sing standard bhajans (devotional songs) in honour of the guru. And in the evening, our hosts, the Rajputs, had us sing for them in their living room at the Lodge American, their motel.
On this Memorial Day, I imagine there would have been music, song, and dance in a more patriotic tone. One van-load of American flags went from business to business, where they were propped up—those Stars and Stripes—as an honoured memory of deceased soldiers.
One of the two men got out and said, “So you made it halfway!(meaning the Lincoln Highway and halfway across America) I read about it in the paper!”
One state trooper parked on a side road as he saw me coming. He opened his trunk and grabbed with a firm grip, two bottles of water, and waited till I actually got to him. “These are for you!”
And I thanked him. I thanked him for checking on my safety. Like everyone else I meet, he received a mantra card.

May the Source be with you!

20 miles


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