It’s been so nice staying here in Pokhara, Nepal waking up every day to the Annapurna Mountains waving their majesty at me… but, what are they saying to me as I sit on the rooftop of where I wake every morning?
There are messages everywhere you turn but, are you awake and aware enough to see them? Even if they are right in front you and possibly slapping you in the face?
Sure, Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world, with one-third of its population living below the poverty line. It is a landlocked country with rugged geography, few natural resources and poor infrastructure. It’s also home to the most grandiose mountain ranges on the planet, the Himalayas, where people come from all over the world to see, climb and trek into. Are you seeing a dichotomy here? I certainly can feel it as I’ve been staying here in Nepal for about a month now.
There is this beauty of simplicity in the culture for the people here. Where daily concerns are whether they will be nourished with food and will they have clothing and shelter from the cold. It’s been really wonderful to ONLY have those concerns and be reminded of what’s important in life.
I think I’ve lost track of some of that simplicity in my own life back in the USA. Searching for…. SOMETHING. Happiness? Security? Comfort? Love? Prestige? Appreciation?
I make myself sit here in this beautiful place I find myself sometimes getting irritated. What the FU(K, Maurice?
Hello? Maurice? You get to live such a beautiful life, take time off from work and travel like this around the world, only to still find your irritation with what? YOURSELF! Uh Huh… I’m certainly human like the rest of you all reading this. Please don’t feel bad for me. I’m not writing this for any sympathy.
As I walk down this beautiful Phewa lakeside path a woman walks by me and intentionally rubs her hand on me leaving what looks like fecal matter on my hand and jacket. People who are also walking this path are not always aware of their surroundings and bump into me. The smell of moth balls are pervasive as they are trying to cover up the septic smell from lack of proper wastewater drainage.
I am a foreigner in a foreign land and people are curious. People are also judgmental. They like to tell me all kinds of things about myself… who they think I am, what I’m all about, how I feel, what a lonely life I lead and what my wounding’s are. Instead of being curious about me and inviting the curiosity about each other. I think our job in life is letting go of our judgments and preconceived ideas of what our lives should be like and instead, in the acceptance of what is and not finding answers in our judgment of ourselves or in others.
We are all wounded by our past to some degree. Some of us have explored those wounding’s so we are not in denial and dragged around by those echoes of the past. I’m not any more/less wounded or sometimes lonely than the next person. I do know that I will not find true solace and happiness in another person and I am imperfect like everyone else.
We are all in search of ourselves and who we truly are and sometimes that answer which is so incredibly SIMPLE is masked by all the complicated thoughts of the mind when the answer is right in front of us. We are creations of the divine and are perfectly imperfect in our flaws. Does god or the universe even create imperfection?
I’ve learned to appreciate the simple living I’m experiencing the last few months in India and Nepal living out of my backpack with the only real concerns I have is where I’m going to find clean food and shelter. The rest of the irritation or judgment I may have about situations or other people is my own attachment to an idea that something needs to be happening differently than it is.
I’m fortunate to have this ongoing opportunity to continue to practice letting go and accepting of what is. My peace and happiness depends on it. And I don’t think we can do it alone. I appreciate those of you who are witnessing me and helping me continue on this physical adventure around the globe and my spiritual practice of being at peace.
What are you doing about your own irritation? How are you cultivating your own peaceful state of mind?
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