Blossoming

As the country and the world reopens, we are going to experience more uncertainty about the sudden amount of choice we have. We have been restricted severely for over a year now, in who we see and what we do. We are never going to go back to a pre-covid world because we have undergone a permanent change… this is the nature of people’s lives after natural disasters as well. It looks like the plan is to reopen travel to fully vaccinated travellers very quickly, as Canadians are told we’ll likely be able to go to the US by July without having to quarantine. 

Depending on the spread of the Delta/Indian variant maybe we will have another lockdown by the fall, I know many other countries are still struggling with the fight to manage the spread and vaccinate their citizens. I know it will be a period of high anxiety for many. They are grief-stricken by the loss of loved ones and what they have seen. The threat of a deadly virus lingers in the air. It almost feels like every time we get a little bit of a taste of freedom, it evaporates quickly into another set of restrictions and dangers. 

Kaur in pencil crayon

I am excited to travel out of the country, to explore the beauty of Waheguru’s creations, be outside, enjoy kirtan programs and expand my mind by meeting new people. Making just one deep connection can be more valuable than hundreds of superficial ones. It is interesting to be starting to plan out flights and accommodations to places I’ve never gone, to communities I’ve never known, neighbourhoods never touched. I’m thrilled for hugs, for physically getting to feel the vibes of people which is impossible on video and the phone. I’m anticipating what it will feel like to attend kirtan smagams again, what it will be like to attend a Rainsbhai or Nagar Kirtan, or play kirtan alongside an actual jori player and not the electronic tabla player. To meet like minded people and do projects that help people worldwide, and in Punjab. 

I am equally excited for visiting my mind’s home, its sarovar of Amrit, it’s castle, and celestial music. I’ve been able to declutter and really allow space for inward focus on the things that matter during the last couple of months. I’m not wanting to re-clutter my life with things that I consider to be taking away from my purpose, and wasting away my breaths. There are people I won’t be seeing, places I won’t be going and things I won’t be doing. Hopefully after covid, people will be more understanding and respectful the necessity of quiet and alone time. It’s hard sometimes to tell people you just want to be left alone so you can recharge and reflect. For me recharging can mean long chats with specific people, or it can even be long periods of silence. I have learned probably the most important thing during covid, that I don’t need anyone else to survive, it is certainly icing on top and can very helpful, but it isn’t a necessity. We all own these amazing capabilities to overcome adversity and be resilient. Serious life events happen in a split second. There are many times I would have wanted someone to have my back, or to have someone to chat with for reassurance, or just be there with me for support, yet I’ve realized I am fully capable of having my own back, validating my own feelings, and relying upon my Guru for support. We are never actually alone in the Oneness, because it is interconnected and helps us along. The truth is permanent, no one can change it with their words or manipulations. This mind doesn’t need to rely on an illusionary support structure that simply collapses when you lean on it. Guru Ji tells us all of that is false. We can lean on permanence, we cannot lean on what is false. The path of the mind is one of love, for that which is permanent and not illusionary. 

 

As a sidenote, I was asked about kirtan videos on youtube. I've been busy learning shabads on the rabab in my spare time and haven't had time to film anything in quite a while. I've still got a lot of shabads left to be recorded, hopefully can get back to them sometime soon. It isn't forgotten!