Friday 30 December 2022

Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Port Coquitlam, British Columbia.

Scoring in a Lockdown

Roads have been quiet. Silent night was early. People preferred to stay at home. Snow had accumulated to levels that made it restrictive to travel. Snow plows were doing their best to clear but it takes time. This area isn’t ready for such a dumping dynamic.

The sun shone through.

I had to cancel on delivering the class this morning. My right leg is in too much pain. I attribute it to a seizing of the leg muscles from the cold. The temples furnace broke down and the floor tiles have been rather frigid. My guess is that some spasm has hit me.

Despite the pain we were determined to get the recording completed of The Saffron Path, for the audiobook. Through pacing our times smartly in the studio, we were determined to get 10 chapters done. It was going to be a marathon before popping the cork of our sparkling apple juice. Vishnu, Mukunda Madhava and Nitai Priya saw to the incremental watching of the hours passing by. A breakdown occurred when the Siamese cats had to be fed. One of them is super shy, so it gave us the time to go out and move the limbs a bit. It became rather liberating when we were able to amble along in the isles of a No-Frills grocery store.

It sounds rather crazy, but, due to the weather restrictions, this is my third consecutive day for doing no trekking whatsoever. It’s a curse. On the other hand, we scored on numbers with the audiobook. All 50 chapters now done.

May the Source be with you!

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Tuesday, December 20, 2022

Nanaimo, British Columbia

Norm

A snowstorm hit Vancouver Island just as it did on the mainland. All night long – isn’t that a song? Anyway, here’s a poem about Norm:

 

I met a man by the name, Norm

At the time of a big snow storm

He is 66 and has no legs

But substitute bionic pegs

He is no scholar like Socrates/Plato

And explained he became a couch potato

He’d been clicking the one-eyed monster

Switching channels, faster and faster

His sedentary roll made him quite fat

With 380 pounds all under his hat

 One day he got electrocuted

A wake-up call that can’t be refuted

Said he had to change his direction

The mishap forced some inner reflection

For a turnaround, he adjusted his diet

An agitated mind became more quiet

Exercise reduced his weight to 200 pounds

Which is remarkable for a full rebound

He’s now involved in helping people

Offering rides and adoring the seagulls

For he lives on the Pacific coast side

And accepts God as his personal guide

Norm has the nature of being so kind

 Active, human, genuine, all combined

 

May the Source be with you!

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Monday, December 19, 2022

Somenos, British Columbia

Meeting Norm

To get to this lovely town, located on Vancouver Island, you take a ferry from the mainland and sail to Nanaimo, then drive for 30 minutes. The arctic factor appears to have hit the island with snow flurries for the better part of the day and night.

At the home of Gadadhar and Manoharini I met Norm Thompson, 66, who came to our program of “Tales from the Trails.” Due to the imposing storm few people turned up, but it was Norm, who was determined, regardless of the weather, to see me. Recently, he had both legs amputated. During work he was electrocuted at his legs. Five months ago, he obtained bionic limbs. He tells a bit more of his story.

“I was 380 pounds. I became a couch potato, and would sit, clicking channels to watch TV. When I lost my two legs, it was a wake-up call. I decided I had to change my lifestyle. I now weigh 200.”

Norm went on to explain about his dieting and exercise. He is now an active man, and is Mr. Positive, believing in God. He was thrilled to hear about our coming to his hometown, and to hear us and observe what a group of us do in the bhakti yoga realm. He listened to my stories of walking the trail and partook in eating the delicious entrées prepared for the evening. He made a vow to do some trekking on the island to the tune of 300 km, after the snow thaws out. He asked for my advice on the project. I expressed to him, “Have a support person, call the media, arrange for healthy food and good sleeping at night. Do a lot of appreciative prayer when you walk.”

May the Source be with you!

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