Monday 28 October 2019

Tuesday, October 22nd, 2019



Ottawa, Ontario

Traffic, Weather, People, Politics

Initially, I thought it might not be worth fighting traffic into the downtown core of Ottawa at 8:30 a.m. Apparently, that’s normal. All that Jaya and I wanted to do was to walk along the Ottawa River on both sides and cross two bridges, touching two provinces by doing so—Quebec and Ontario. Clouds made the day dreary and eerie, but the mood eventually became cheery. Once we parked and got on the trail of bushes of beauty, with a mighty river to our side, and some of the better architecture, old and new, it altered our spirits.

As for tourists who shared the trail with us, well, they were taking their selfies. The local corporate folks appeared a little glum. The election campaign for federal leadership was completed yesterday. Votes were tallied nationwide, revealing a victory for the Liberals. Justin Trudeau’s government would be reigning for a second term. It seemed that the city, the capitol, or the place where it all matters, was not necessarily in a great party mood.

I’m sometimes asked if I vote. I’ll say, “As a monk I don’t get terribly involved, but I don’t mind giving advice, like a guru, to the Prime Minister.”

Anyways, we bhakti-yogis usually pull party-time off successfully. This evening, we celebrated King Krishna as a young child. He engaged in some wild antics while on Earth, five millennia ago. Our program of chanting, discussing and eating at Surendra’s home was just so uplifting, despite the persistent dullness of the weather beyond its walls.

May the Source be with you!
5 km



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