Saturday, December 29th, 2018

Toronto, Ontario

Talking and Walking It Up

The chill dampness can only get to your legs, with just a dhoti to cover them, if you don't keep moving.  Ananda had his black long-johns on, while I braved the zero degree celsius with thin fabric.  We took to the morning freshness and then again at nightfall.  Breaking up the day with two saunterings is really cool. We stuck to the Rosedale area and included Ramsden Park where Ananda went wild on a grandiose chime, a New Year's offering to Vishnu, I suppose.  https://www.instagram.com/p/BsAjF1AA2Vi/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=10zvpm3pcboi4

We are lucky snow hasn't seriously manifested yet, but that luck could wear off at any time.  Our second trek was through the Victorian neighbourhood.  For Ananda, the homes appear like houses from horror films. "Look again, my friend.  They are actually solid, homey charmers."

He had a second look and agreed. "Yes, they are solid, well-maintained structures."  

And I thought strong foundation means strong humility. If the base is firm, all above it can be solid.

Ananda told me of the earthquake in his village in Maharastra.  "In eleven seconds, everything was downed.  There wasn't even enough time to scream.  Many deaths.  I was young and the walls were thick, but still..."

He was right about Nature not stopping at anything to dismantle what we've built.

There we were, going at a leisure pace with grave thoughts in our minds, and in the background, and sometimes foreground, was our sound of the mahamantraas we fingered those beads of ours.  It was nice.

May the Source be with you!

6 km