Saturday, July 23rd, 2011

Down the Boulevard

Alachua, Florida

What do I see, hear and smell on the boulevard?

The narrow white sand road that I have been walking is actually called NW 112 Boulevard. Or at least it begins as a wide roadway promenade, but then shortly thereafter, it becomes a few metres/yards length. It becomes a quiet, narrow country lane. I'm glad it is like that. Who wants to invite thick traffic?

So, what is there to be seen along the Boulevard? Bulls, cows, homes and bails of hay, red birds and trees with clumps of Spanish moss. I hear crickets at night and at least two owls to add to the concert.

For smells, there are the local floral and fauna, most of which I'm not familiar with, being that it's tropical.

As daybreak occurs, I see humans. One of those early trekkers on the Boulevard, is Kripasindhu, an old friend. When I first became a monk, it was this very jovial and smiling person who encouraged me.

As a former American draft dodger, Kripasindhu made his way to Canada, back in the late sixties, and then met devotees of Krishna. He was always an upbeat type of person, and I remember how my being a rather new recruit, I hit a moment of doubt and questioning--not of the philosophy--but of my services. This very optimistic person said all the right things, and in the right way to give me a boost.

I owe this person so much. If it had not been for him coming in at the right moment, I'm not sure what providence would have had in store for me. Whenever I see him in my rare visit to this community, my heart pumps with feelings of gratitude for him.

Come to think of it, I cannot think of a more valuable role that a person can play in life than when encouragement is delivered by them. This realization tells me that I must step up on all such opportunities to provide encouragement for someone in need. I would like to suggest to not think narrow, but to think broad like the boulevard.

10 KM