Thursday 20 July 2017

Wednesday, July 19th, 2017

Winnipeg, Manitoba

An Incident About Ownership

After our showers at the YMCA off of Fermor Avenue, I decided to walk the short forty-five minute distance to Vishal’s house for breakfast.  I’m not always that particularly happy waiting for the bus party to get ready.  I see it as the opportunity to move my limbs.  On some days, during the wait, it’s the only change.  We’re always on the move with the bus, having eight hours between each city that we stop at.

At the moment I arrived at Vishal’s home—he moved in only three days ago—the bus with the boys, pulled up.  It parked across the street and everyone unloaded to the space just next to the curb, onto a fairly fresh-cut lawn.  The shoes of the passengers came out and our group of young guys with three chaperone ladies and three chaperone gents spent a little extra time on that neighbour’s lawn.

Now this put the neighbours slightly on edge.  Being a bit over-reactive, the lady on the lawn expressed to me later, “We were in shock.  We didn’t know a bus was coming to our street.  Someone burnt down a neighbour’s garage the other day.  You don’t know who or what people are doing.”  She said her husband was very concerned, especially about the presence of strangers on their grass.

It was Vrinda, our local leader, who was also privy to their complaints, and shed some light on the actual ownership of where the youth were temporarily trampling.  “Doesn’t the city own this portion of the grass?”  Her question somewhat quieted the couple.

In any event, a patrol officer was called to address the situation.  She passed by me in her vehicle after I left with an earful of complaints.  She gave a smile and a wave.  Apparently she had heard about our program and the Walking Monk and came to pacify, and do whatever else needed doing.  It was interesting.  No property damage was done.


May the Source be with you!

4 km

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