Sunday 21 July 2013

Wednesday, July 17th, 2013

Seeing The Dark and Light

Thunder Bay Ontario

Thunder Bay is an amalgamation of two once very prosperous cities Fort Arthur and Fort William. It was a prominent pulp and paper center and also a major port which funneled harvested grains being shipped east from their source, the expansive prairies.

Like all things in this world there is change and one geologist in this area told me of abundant gold deposits in the area just waiting to reminded, “It becomes an environmental issue in addition to the current price of gold,” he said. I guess that’s the reason for the delay.

I trekked along Simpson Street, an artery which early morning commuters take. Judging by the amount of closed stores, you can see that this section of town had seen better days. This is a drug dealing quarter I’ve come to know. These kinds of conditions stir up an uneasiness inside of me. It’s painful to know that people are in pain, struggling in a dark world. I wish that sometimes we could spin the clock back in time when morality was up, when the family was stronger, and a community was there to hold a person together.

A light rain showered on the area of Simpson Street, almost as if to cleanse what needed to be cleansed. That rain coupled with my meagre effort at chanting as soft as the rain, left me hopeful.

After the trek I sat under a cedar tree to read the latest Journal of Vaishnava Studies. Blessings came my way when a bird perched above unintentionally I’m sure, released a generous amount of dropping to hit the head, shoulder and thigh. It was an interesting way to punctuate the day.

7 KM

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