Ottawa, Ontario
Traffic, Weather, People, Politics
Initially, I thought it might not be worth fighting traffic into the
downtown core of Ottawa at 8:30 a.m. Apparently, that’s normal. All that Jaya
and I wanted to do was to walk along the Ottawa River on both sides and cross
two bridges, touching two provinces by doing so—Quebec and Ontario. Clouds made
the day dreary and eerie, but the mood eventually became cheery. Once we parked
and got on the trail of bushes of beauty, with a mighty river to our side, and
some of the better architecture, old and new, it altered our spirits.
As for tourists who shared the trail with us, well, they were taking
their selfies. The local corporate folks appeared a little glum. The election
campaign for federal leadership was completed yesterday. Votes were tallied
nationwide, revealing a victory for the Liberals. Justin Trudeau’s government
would be reigning for a second term. It seemed that the city, the capitol, or the
place where it all matters, was not necessarily in a great party mood.
I’m sometimes asked if I vote. I’ll say, “As a monk I don’t get
terribly involved, but I don’t mind giving advice, like a guru, to the Prime
Minister.”
Anyways, we bhakti-yogis usually pull party-time off
successfully. This evening, we celebrated King Krishna as a young child. He
engaged in some wild antics while on Earth, five millennia ago. Our program of
chanting, discussing and eating at Surendra’s home was just so uplifting,
despite the persistent dullness of the weather beyond its walls.
May the Source be with you!
5 km
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