MORNING GRATITUDES

Many mentors taught me about

the magic of the Magic hour when night

turns into day.

Today morning, at a morning meditation at Kawartha Lakes area of Ontario, I prayed for the soul of one of my mentors who passed away physically recently

LETTER FROM YESTERDAY

How do you do push-ups?

One of my mentors, heroes, uncle passed away recently. When I first started doing

pushups in 1970s , he asked me to show how I did a push- up . This was long before you have Youtube channels where

there are different exercise regimens.

What is there in a Push-up ? I thought naively.

Can you do fifty push-ups at one go?

He told me to reach that level, then he will tell me the next step.

As he saw me sink after 20 , he pointed out that the core is weak. Push-ups are not only about Arms and Shoulders.

THE CLAP AND THE CROSS SHOULDER

The magic of his push-ups was that he was not just doing this for building his body. He applied this in real situations, being a trained professional- who lived the credo

⁃ Peace has its virtues,but it takes brave men to win it.

Can you clap while doing a push-up? He asked me.

No ! I never heard of that or saw anyone do it. Then he showed me how to clap while doing push-ups, and clap and cross his shoulders, then clap two times while doing push-ups. And burpees .

He introduced me to the nuances of training, not only physical, but mental, how these affect society and even world maps. ( All those I cannot share on a public blog – but the lessons remain)

What is strategy?

What is Tactics?

What is the difference?

Almost fifteen years after he was part of the institution which trained him, my own high school batch mates joined the same, When I would visit them, I would remember the many stories my uncle had shared with me.

CANOPIES AND MAPS

How do you mark a terrain? What is a map? How will all this play out in actual ground situation?

As I went to a morning meditation at

Riverwood area, I remembered some of the trainings my uncle told me about when I was in primary school, which later I heard my own batch mates from high school tell about when they did the same.

Canopies – of trees – will have different level of cover of the ground below, and also a different level of undergrowth.

A map will give you an idea, but when you will be on the ground, it will be different, depending upon the time of the day and also whether there are hostile or helpful elements in the vicinity.

It is peaceful in Riverwood.

However, there are some areas where it is not so peaceful.

Remember March, the ides of March remember:

Did not great Julius bleed for justice’ sake?

What villain touch’d his body, that did stab,

And not for justice?

Julius Cesar, Shakespeare

Have you ever struck someone for justice?

Have you been struck? What does justice mean to you?

Remembering my uncle, and the many nuances – reading the above lines of Shakespeare, quoted in the book – Body Keeps the Score by Dr Bessel Kolk – made me reflect on the narratives which define identity. How these are different for different people, and how when people come back from the wars, the civilian world is so different.

END NOTE

One of my friends has gone further north Manitoulin island area.

He goes for retreats there- every summer- staying in a tent – one with Nature away from the cities- communing with Nature, Silence, Music – The Higher Powers.

When I shared with him about my uncle and aunt – having passed physically within a month of each other, he told of how this tells about the deep connection between their souls.