Tuesday 9 March 2010

Saturday, March 6th, 2010

Dream Walk

Toronto, Ontario

Someone from the community here conjured up the idea of a "Snow Dream Walk," a trek through the white stuff with people of like-minds. Some young folks from the Urban Edge Centre responded to the email invite when a chalked out route within the city limits would give a chance to these spiritual seekers to build up friendships. Since the inception or ribbon-cutting of the Urban Edge Centre many seminars were facilitated by speakers, cooking lessons were delivered and yoga instructors have guided and inspired people since October. Here was an event renamed to "Snow Melt Walk" where attendees actually got to talk and know one another better over the course of a two-hour period.

I had the honour to lead these pilgrims and to chase the quiet streets for walking as opposed to the usually preferred ravines where it's muddy. My head count to this event was a modest thirteen which is just perfect. They really enjoyed the great air, the sunshine and above all the friendship. This if any (friendship) is a major missing factor in today's life. Again I'm tackling the issue of loneliness, alienation, depression, self-centeredness all items that are tossed together like a bag of trail-mix.

Mangal Arati and Ateet the two front-persons of the Urban Edge arranged tasty food after the walk. It was agreed upon by participants that there must be a repeat performance to this city pilgrimage.

One of the persons I talked and walked with and who goes by the name of J.P. had asked how I considered this type of walk to be a pilgrimage and I responded, "Every walk is a pilgrimage when it has a spiritual intent, when the experience of it has allowed you to grow."

The evening brought Dustin and I to the home of Harinam and Priya, a couple from Mauritius. Families came to chant, feast, and hear of the pastimes of the supreme.

13 KM

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