Creatures and People of a Day

July 23-we first landed in Canada in 2012. After two years in Malta, the passing away of my mother in Delhi, we took the risk of Canada. 

Rathburn Road Walks to Drives through Binghamton- Susquehanna River area

Three years ago, (July 2022) our elder son left Mississauga to try out his life in New York City. The first time I returned from NY City, I had to walk around midnight from Square one to my house after waiting for a bus for a long time.

  Over the years, have made several trips to New York city, New Jersey and Rochester to meet different family members.

This has led to walks and discussions in Marble Collegiate Church (first started following the works of Dr.Norman Vincent Peale in 1980s in India) and hearing sermons of Dr.Michael Bos who helps integrate different faiths.

We walked through the botanical gardens of New York Bronx and came to know of the local histories which helped evolve the wildflower societies of the 19th century into the institution which it has become today.

The road trips have taken us through Binghamton and know the natural beauty of upstate New York in a more personal direct way.

Fellow Walkers

In the Ovation years, (2012-16) we came to know of health care practitioners who took allied licenses and worked their way through the Canadian system. 

One such person – who unfortunately passed away in 2018- (his memorial service cap -I have kept in our family prayer relics room) – taught us how to break things into manageable parts and navigate the maze of registrations, exams, instructors, peers and work on building a community of fellow practitioners. 

This approach, refined over the years, has helped build a community of fellow travelers and fellow healers and find meaning, productivity and dignity in life in Canada.

Reflection

What risks defined your life? Who were your fellow travelers? What local histories shaped you? Which institutions helped forming your new identities

My example- the risk of starting a new life in Canada (2012), and the way my son took the risk of trying New York City (2022) shaped our identity in many ways. The fellow travelers were people like the manual medicine college teacher and books- such as those of Dr.Peale and Dr.Bos- which helped us shape our view of how the world works, who we are and making meaning of why we are here.

Earlier Perspectives

2022-July-Rathburn Road Walks

2024-May

Kindness, Initiative, Eagerness, Confidence and Pride are the ways to build Optimism according to Martin Seligman

2022-July-Rathburn Road Walks

Rathburn Road Midnight Walk: Beginnings and Ends | Prashant Bhatt’s notes

2023-July-Elmhurst

Elmhurst Walks | Prashant Bhatt’s notes

10 years ago-2015-July

Walks and meditations around Riverwood-Mississauga | Prashant Bhatt’s notes