Just Meditate

I take a day off of cooking and blame my cough on it. “I am not feeling well”, I tell the family when they wonder why I am being so somber. The truth is that although I know Richhpal means well, and the family is doing a wonderful job of including me, I didn’t want to be around them. Not today. I wanted to be around familiar people. I put on the Indian suit Cub had made me in Chandigarh and went across the roof to Surrinder and Harpal’s house.

Surrinder sees me, smiles and says: “Where were you? I thought I lost you!” I feel a wave of acceptance and smile. I tell her that I hadn’t been feeling well. Harpal and Jaspal are watching the Republic Day Parade and invite me to watch beside and to eat oranges. I see a warm smile exchanged between Harpal and Surrinder and I am happy that they are on talking terms again. I guess they resolved the dog food issue. Surrinder offers me lunch and shows me the new kitchen that is being built. The badminton net has been taken down and replaced by the table saw.

I take a walk with Harpal and we talk about some things going on with me – the same type of people coming into my life – the kind that you want to help, but they end of zapping you of your own energy. He then tells me to just meditate, as he always does, but this time, it makes sense. I hug him and head back to Cub’s.

Cub is home and I want to go for a run before dinner. I am feeling full of energy and would like to run off this cough. He looks at the clock and tells me we can go early in the morning. He prefers to run early before the workers are out in the fields. I don’t want to get up early tomorrow and insist on running at dusk. He starts the fire to heat up my bath water, puts on a jacket, gets his dog, and walks around the field while I around a rice paddy field. I feel fast and rejuvenated. With each pass, his dog follows me and he gives me words of encouragement to do another lap. I feel much better.