Thanksgiving meal played backwards
While turkeys thawed across the world, limbering up for feasting, I stood in a ring of people in a grassy lot. Some peple had water dripping out of their nose like a faucet. Others were putting something back into their nostril–a rubber string–that they eventually retreived from the back of their throat. Still others were rapidly gulping down glasses of warm salt water like beer at a frat party then (as instructed) putting their fingers into the back of their throat to induce puking. I couldn’t even watch the people that were swallowing lengths of gauze just to pull it back out again. Others gorge today; we cleanse. Well, “WE” being a very general term. “ME” specifically has a bit more sensitive system for snorting and swallowing non-edible items.
It’s all good though. One of the strangest environments I’ve been in for this holiday (although last year’s Lao “Monkfest” wasn’t exactly the norm either). There’s no way in my remaining 5 minutes or 5 hours for that matter that I could summarize the past two weeks. Challenges on all fronts–from physical origami to mental contortion as well. I’m both exhausted on some levels and invigorated on others. Meditation hasn’t killed me, often entertains me, and is most certainly good for my fragmented mind. Vegetarian food quietly weened me from sugar cheese and wine so that now I actually get just as excited for that little walnut-sized blob of sweet gluey cashew rice flicked on the corner of the plate. Vedanta philosophy has me spinning, but, often nodding also. Ah ha! So there is a plausible argument that all the religions of the world are really only worshipping one God. And all those things we stress and fret and grump about truly are that embarrassingly small. Not that I spring out of bed eagerly at 5:30 or joyously memorize Sanskrit, but this experience is saturated fully with things I can learn if I were actually ready or capable of learning them all.
But, most of all I am learning patience with myself. Not everything can be gained by pushing straining paining. Some things have to be learned by working hardest to do less.
So, thanks and thanks and thanks. I am thankful for this experience, even if I will still go running gleefully away toward Kristin and mochas waiting for me in New Zealand. Thankful for the people who’ve smirked at me slightly for entering this crazy adventure but trust that no, I’m not going to come out of it with Hindu idols in tow, floss my nose next to them in the bathroom, or insist on eating all meals with my hands from now on (while sitting in lotus of course). I’m still very much the spastic, erratic, sensory-loving Cindy who just has a few new ideas to add to my collection of mantras on how best to live life.
Love to all for Thanksgiving. And please, please SAVE ME SOME TURKEY!!!
Tags: India, Sivananda Ashram
bimpy_ak
Hey Cindy. I wonder how much of that Jenny read. Haha. Sounds great though, minus the first paragraph or so. We’ll have to do Thanksgiving together later as I too missed it.