Every day I walk about 3 km to get to work. It allows me to get to a place of calm and open heart. Being a thinker and worrier, I need to shut the chatter off by allowing it to dissipate with each step, each breath…
Getting on to the bus, she shuffled with her cane and asked the young man behind the bus driver for his seat. It is a seat designated for visually impaired or those with limited movement. She would have taken a seat further but her backpack was heavy and there is a shelf to place bags next to that seat. The young man had his ear buds on, on and looked at her and barked, “there are plenty of other seats!” with a smug look on his face. She noticed a seat further down so she took her bag off her shoulders and placed it next to the man and shuffled off to another seat. An older woman looked at her with a look of fear in her eyes. Now that really irked her for she felt that some older and more frail men and women felt intimidated by this behaviour.
society rendering vulnerable – exposed
She sat down and took out her beaded bracelet and decided to chant her mantra silently. All the while trying to “let it go”. It was not easy at first for responses like “What would your mother think about your behaviour? Would you treat your grandmother like that?” But then she was thinking he came from a bad place emotionally and was perhaps hurting…maybe angry at the world. After completing her mantra she could gradually feel a sense of relief, she then chanted in her mind a mantra wishing happiness to the world, thinking of this angry, rude young man.
Om, Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti
When she stepped off the bus the young man was behind her and had to pause so she could hold on to the side of the bus to avoid stumbling (like she did last year and fell flat on her face). She noticed he had very fashionable and expensive clothes on and shook her head in dismay at his lack of education and consideration for others.
Getting on the Métro, she was saddened looking at the inside of the train…
“May all beings everywhere be happy and free and may the thoughts, words and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all.” Shanti: Peace
She had spent a lazy weekend resting and soaking in tranquil solitude. Her son dropped by briefly unexpectedly. It was a pleasant surprise. It seemed to re-energize her and she later took the time to prepare her dinner with Indian spices and lots of vegetables spread over a bed of quinoa.
Rushing to work, she couldn’t help but notice the homelessness in the Métro station. Each day at mid-day the same persons are at their “stations”. Another flight down and she reaches the train rails and watches another person getting ready to get set up upstairs next to the convenience store, as she sees every day. The man feeds her discreetly, respectfully, then pushes her wheelchair upstairs for a few hours where she sits…alone, waiting.
The view of fresh fallen snow offers a promise of hope. She looks at the pure whiteness from her bedroom window and smiles. It was a welcoming mild day compared to the arctic weekend she’d just passed…the snow would be heavy yet sticky, just the right consistency to make snow forts, snowballs and snowmen. She saw children giggling and sliding in her mind’s eye.
Walking on the snow-covered sidewalks she noticed the grey skies threatening more snow but it was too mild…surely it may turn to rain or sleet. Mother Nature can get overwhelmed with the earth’s heating; she seemed dazed and confused.
Later shuffling through snow, its texture reminded her of cookie dough batter. You know when you add butter to that fluffy white flour and beat it until it all blends together. Her mind wandered to old childhood memories. Her GrandMaman would let her lick the bowl of batter…how she loved adding just a smidgen of sugar on the raw dough.
GrandMaman would spread the batter and let her granddaughter choose the cookie cutters of shapes of animals, stars or hearts depending on the occasion. Her favourites were the star and heart.
Walking along the street streets, she looked up at the grey skies
Tournesol dans un Jardin 