Let the congregation rise and say, “Alleluia!” Once more with feeling please… “Rejoice with me, for the bugs are gone!”
Yesterday I moved from Generosity to Realization (aka Room # 14 to Room # 16), and with the move, I left the infestation of crawly things behind. I feel like I’ve suddenly been upgraded to the five-star penthouse suite, though the room is more or less an exact replica – SANS – buggage.
Amazingly, yesterday somehow slipped by for all of us. We all commented on how surprised we were by the 3:30 chai bell. Funny, how doing tons of nothing can somehow feel like plenty.
To be fair, we seem to be doing laundry almost every day, what with the copious sweating and all. But the very same heat that makes us drip and soak our clothes, is also the solution to quick-drying garments. Laundry is actually kind of fun, as it’s another opportunity to cool off.
Tomorrow we’re taking our first trip out of the ashram and having a car pick us up to take us into Rishikesh. Somehow we have a shopping list…not sure why, given that every need is taken care of.
We simply show up for meals and are responsible for washing our metal plate, spoon and cup. Beyond keeping our own monastic little room clean and the aforementioned laundry…there is nowhere to be and nowhere to go. Imagine that.
I’m beginning to understand why they have ashramites here that are staying for six month and year durations. Talk about no pressure.
Incredible.
Love the pictures… and the idea of that pace is delightful. Here at home we are in to the fall storms, the first good one coming – of course – during the dragonboat regatta in Sechelt Inlet. Enjoy the heat… we’ve had to fire up the woodstoves here and I’ll be surprised if we retain power today the way the wind is blowing!
Laurie, I can’t even begin to imagine the idea of autumn. It seems more an intellectual construct than a possible reality 🙂 I’m so glad you’re still doing the dragonboating…hope this means you don’t mind that I bailed (pun intended 🙂
Sounds like an amazing experience, sans the roaches which scare the **** out of me, but you always were the braver one. It is a joy to read about your experiences.
Barb, now that I’m in my new groovy room, the odd cockroach is seeming like a non-event. Who would’ve guessed? When I read at night and something dive bombs at my head light, I either squish it between my fingers or slam the book shut on it. Mostly they’re little things…haven’t got up the nerve to squish anything big, and in spite of you thinking I’m brave, I don’t think I will!
Ah, Realization seems a virtue far superior to Generosity, especially when cockroaches are involved! I will resist the urge to share my long-ago story of sleeping “with” cockroaches in Paraguay. You at least have a sense of humor about it; I had none at all!
Dora, the Paraguay cockroach story deserves to be told. Sounds like a good tale…I am practicing the art of being happy and have taken to humming whenever I’m sluicing the bugs down the drain. It makes me smile. This would be a whole different story if it was snakes. Of course, then I wouldn’t be saying anything cuz I’d be dead of a heart attack.