When I left to go sit with my monk/teacher (yoda sensei) last night, CNN had only projected Vermont and N. Carolina. One for each of them. My teacher has been encouraging me to sit half lotus for long periods saying that it will energize my practice. It’s been a struggle, as it really hurts my back, and my legs fall asleep really quickly.
The room we sit in gets really quiet. Even though it’s in the hood off Crenshaw and you can hear car alarms, pit bulls barking, sirens, and crazy people screaming, when you finally settle in after a few periods it gets to be what Sensei refers to as “quieter than silence”. In the middle of the forth period, fighting off knee and back pain and feeling a bit more used to my new sitting posture I could hear in the far distance a chorus of honking car horns and all my mental chatter about body pain subsided. It sounded like elation. Like joyous celebration. Like the bad dream had ended and everyone woke up and collectively realize “oh shit! It was just a bad dream! Thank god that’s over.”
I drove back to downtown (one of the most diverse neighborhoods in los angeles, both racially and economically) and my whole neighborhood was out in the street. It was truly amazing! There was such happiness and joy on everyone’s faces.
There were Champaign corks popping and literally grown men crying. Strangers came up and hugged me. This sounds insane and over the top but it’s true and I have never experienced anything like it before.
I heard someone say “This is the first time in my life that I know how it feels to be proud of my country and proud to be an American”.
So heavy.
the scene
reed, dorian, wife
cheers!
wife & cameron
lucky doesn't care who won. he'll still take your money at knife point.
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