Don't You Know, We're Eternal?
I pulled out of the closet, my '96 blue backpack with the logo "Cross Canada Walk" sewn on, before I embarked on a Bloor Street trek for two hours. This small pack provides enough space for overnight provisions - a tooth brush, clean set of robes and swimming trunks. My destination was anywhere on Bloor St. until my host from Milton, Aindra by name, would see me from his car and then scoop me up for a ride to his home.
I like Bloor St. It's not raunchy like sections of Yonge. Bloor is multi-culturally vibrant. It has a more quaint "downtown" feel. As I was recently reminded from a mundane prospective, Petula Clark's song, "When you are alone and life is making you lonely, you can always go downtown." The transitional community phases from Bloor and Spadina range from Anglos, to Koreans, to Portuguese, to Polish. There are Caribbean shops too - "Mom and Pop shops" - along the way. You are not in a crazy concrete jungle when you're on Bloor.
Perhaps, the most memorable encounter of today was not on Bloor but earlier in the day when I joined Godbrothers, Dharma and Krishna Das, both who, like myself, are in our 60's. Dharma has suffered from a stroke back in the early 80's. He moves slow and limped during our mini-procession. As we went down Yorkville Ave. with our kirtan, a group of guys were sitting at a patio outside a bar.
One white-haired man drinking his liquor and bearing a resemblance to Michael Douglas, shook his head in disgust when he saw us. Now, practically everyone who saw and heard us on the street was either indifferent or favourable in their response. This fellow seemed to discard us, "Aren't you, guys, too old for this?" Inside me, I took offense. Externally, I smiled and said, "Don't you know we are eternal? Have a nice day!" He kind of went blank.
May the Source be with you!
12 KM
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