Friday, March 5, 2010

Peace


I can’t believe where I am! I find myself totally breath taken in the middle of the Himalayan Mountains. I have just finished an amazing meal and the sharp taste of garlic remains in my palette. The air is thin and crisp. I can smell the coolness of the snowy mountains.
Paul and I are beginning to plan our return trip to Canada. Before our last over night bus ride tomorrow to Delhi, culminating with our flight home, we decided to spend a last quiet day and night in the mountains.
The guesthouse is called Alliance and a French Indian who values the responsibility of being a host owns it. The food is superior. The view is absolutely spectacular. It’s completely family run, which in India, could mean the entire village is involved. 400 rupees a night (that’s about $10.00)
There is majesty in front of me. Mountain peaks, all snow sprinkled settle around the warm soothing sun directly above. Along the narrow dirt roads, Tibetan flags flap outside of the modest wooden homes, typically protected by shingled roofs of pure solid slate. Nagar is a tiny village about 1700 metres above sea level.


We spent the main part of our afternoon sitting on the ground, being silent, talking quietly together sometimes, and appreciating the vastness of absolute beauty surrounding us. It is perfect when I get to settle in to a place of nature long enough to become familiar with what I see. When I begin to recognize trees and mountain areas, I know I’m home. It’s a little like our land on Gabriola. I know the silhouette that the treetops create against the sky. I know the land.

Today, as I close my eyes I am almost convinced that I can bring this quiet home with me. I am reminded that the real quiet comes from within. It’s easier to practise in a place like India where the very nature of the surroundings and the people generate peacefulness and calm. But, for the first time I feel a sense of possibility. I want to hold on to this feeling. We are definitively on our way home.







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