Thursday 25 December 2008

Sunday, December 21st, 2008

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

It is officially the first day of winter and winter it is. Snow has blanketed the ground giving it a brightness that summer could never do. People like to complain about the white stuff. It’s cold! It’s hazardous for motorists! I had walked a good hour and a half in it. It reduces your walking (and driving speed) in half, if not more.

Snow! I believe it is something to smile at. To me it’s mother nature’s frozen milk. In time it nourishes the vegetation which nourishes hundreds of species including us humans. It’s a transformation of water. It illuminates the night. It’s insulation from chilly winds. It’s one of the colours of God when He goes under the name Balarama. So, stop winning.

Our Guru, Srila Prabhupada, was the example of optimism-always. For those of us who knew him he was Mr. Positive. In the midst of any difficulty he always looked up and ahead. Like those folks who came to attend a wedding today at our temple, the building in which I live. Attendees braved the snow storm to give support to couple Yamuna Jivana and Siobhan. They were not intimidated by harsh weather. Fish are never deterred by the current they swim against.

At the end of the day I called a friend from the states wishing him a “Seasons Greetings!” We spoke about smiling in the face of any and all adversities. I could not see him smiling but I could feel it. He expressed that those who smile have a grip on life. He also said that some folks make the excuse, “I come from a culture that doesn’t smile.” My friend argues that in New Guinea they used to eat humans. Not anymore.

So Smile! They made a change.

6 Km

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