Sunday, January 3, 2021

Rosedale, Toronto

 

The Good About Winter

 

I don’t do too well with complainers. Covid is fueling them big time these days. Another cause for the current griping is the weather. A lot of people just don’t like winter. Winter, with Covid slapped on top of it, makes it “the winter of our discontent.” That’s a quote from Richard the 3rd, by William Shakespeare. One of my very favourite literary geniuses is John Steinbeck who authored, “East of Eden,” “Grapes of Wrath” and “Of Mice and Men.” His last novel was titled after the famous line, “The Winter of Our Discontent.”

 

I delivered two classes today, by Zoom. One for Vancouver and another for Toronto, to counter the winter blues syndrome. We know the weather is frigid, the traffic is hazardous, the bills go high and income is lowest, but under the topic “The Good About Winter” we had a chance to have a second look at winter.

 

In India the four months of the rainy season is the time for inner reflection. Our winter, in the north, is introspective time. Travel is more restrictive. It really does draw a parallel, in a way. December to April Fools; it’s no joke.

 

Let’s take some quotes about winter:

 

“Winter is the season of recovery and preparation.” Paul Theroux

 

“The colour of springtime is the flowers. The colour of winter is in the imagination.” Terri Guillemets.

 

“In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.” William Blake

 

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire; it is the time for home.” Edith Sitwell

 

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, “Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.”” Lewis Carrol

 

Be a winter optimist.

 

May the source be with you!

4 km

 

Saturday, January 2, 2021

Toronto, Ontario

 

Indira—Remarkable

 

Indira Nayee passed away from cancer yesterday. She was a great devotee, wife, parent and a devout member of our community. She moved to Canada from Africa with her husband, Tusti Mohan and their two boys (my Sunday school students) decades ago. Here is my poem—a tribute to her:

 

Indira—Remarkable

Our obeisances to a dear lady

Of refinement, nothing short of holy

Quietly she would move about

Not raise her voice, nor even a shout

Carrying the pure nature of a mother

Hard-pressed we are to find another

Focused and getting each detail done

Whether at a chair or simply on the run

Her attitude of service, so well she understood

With intent to make sure all was so good

Loyal to Tusti—life-long friend

A bond we thought would never really end

It is the nature of the beast—this life

Which the Gita tells exudes much strife

We must now accept her divine passing

Indignity we take it as a blessing

Strong love for Krishna, family, community

And to life’s illusions, she built up an immunity

We may lessen the grieving for all is joyous

We shall sing the mantra in sweet chorus

©Bhaktimarga Swami, The Walking Monk

 

I walked a brisk one today, at Sherborne and Bloor Streets.

 

May the source be with you!

4 km

 

Friday, January 1, 2021

243 Avenue Road, Toronto

 

Here There

 

It’s funny how the monkey mind works. When there are snow flurries, such as what we received today, then that monkey races to green space. When I’m in green space I think of snow and how it cools down heat intensity. And it was for a moment that my feisty mind landed in a place, like Jackson, California, a small city I walked through.

 

People came to meet me in Detert Park where we sat on the green and under the green. There were folks I met along the way as well as some who read about my walks and the scheduled talk for that Saturday morning. It was sweet being away from the sun for a change. Again, the rascal mind strikes.

 

So now, back in the land of snow, being in the present—this afternoon we broadcast, via Zoom, “Rolling the Dice,” our first film endeavor. Comments were good. I was proud of our actors. Although we still have a ways to go, technically, I think Michaela did a fine job with her camera work. People can still see this production through YouTube at https://youtu.be/N6xH1NuFDVs

 

Because of the pandemic and restrictions imposed on our thespian crew, who are accustom to stage presentations, they must learn to act for the camera. That’s the route we will be taking for the next little while. I’m hoping we will improve with this service and work towards excellence.

 

There goes the mind again. I am thinking about downtown Jackson. It’s got that old cowboy, western type of image.

 

May the source be with you!

2 km

 

Thursday, December 31, 2020

Brickworks, Toronto

 

Nostalgic New Year

 

A new day was just about to come,

And a new year lapsed when the cold made us numb.

We rough and ready were all bundled up,

We held back conserved energy like a young pup.

In anticipation, which was so very high,

Our drum mallet beats began entering the sky,

At location—Old City Hall—with its new face,

Still on Queen’s Street at its usual place.

Everyone was appareled in holiday cheer,

For an annual rite set for the New Year.

Hope was triggered for a better tomorrow,

Putting behind any of yesterday’s sorrow.

The countdown led to the clock’s strike twelve.

The sparkles began, in mantra we delved.

Fireworks popping revealing their powers,

Their reflections we viewed off those glossy towers.

The crowds did swell from that moment on.

Things got tighter and tighter on pavement and lawn.

The sounds were volumed from our vocal cords,

And from party animals—ladies and lords,

Smile stretched across round heads for sure,

In a groove that hinted more towards the pure.

While the smell of pot was so thick in the air,

There was actually very little feeling of despair.

The mood was good and our hearts did beat,

As we stood so long on unrelenting feet.

Burning our lungs in the centre of this cold,

All that were there were really so bold.

While welcoming in another round to go,

The winds of time make calendar pages blow.

 

(Written last year. It is now nostalgic.)

May the source be with you!

0 km

 

Please visit The Walking Monk’s YouTube channel to watch his latest production, “Rolling The Dice”

https://youtu.be/N6xH1NuFDVs