On the foggy, drizzly morning of June 13, 1958, Morris Pesin (1911-1992) made his historic eight-minute canoe trip to the Statue of Liberty.

A year before, Morris and his wife Ethel had traveled to Liberty island from Jersey city with their children, Sam and Judy. The three-hour trip included a Holland tunnel traffic jam and a long wait at the ferry line. 

As I practiced Walking Meditation at the LSP – Liberty State Park, Jersey city, memories of such walks and discussions with my parents, uncles, and other family members in the Neelkanth Temple area of Rishikesh, which is in the Shivalik Range (also called the sub-Himalayas). 

Shared journeys with family have influenced my perspectives and values. This trip to Jersey city was punctuated by a night halt at Rochester. Went for a walk through John Street area of the campus where my nephew Mayank stays and studies. We talked about the times when my father would visit me in the hostel and we would go for walks to Kotla and Lodhi gardens and Palam and Exploring the Seeds of Time to art journeys in Malta and nature walks in Niagara

TIME’S CANVAS

But the real story isn’t just about what Morris accomplished in that 8-minute canoe trip. It’s about the journey that came before, the three-hour family odyssey with his wife Ethel and children Sam and Judy, through Holland tunnel traffic jams and ferry-line waits. That shared family experience, unglamorous and imperfect, was the soil from which his legacy grew. 

The eight-minute canoe trip itself teaches us the paradox of legacy: transformative change often happens in moments that seem impossibly brief, yet they are built upon years of accumulated values, relationships, and quiet determination. 

Morris didn’t invent his vision during that crossing. He was simply putting into action what his life—and his family—had already instilled in him.

FIVE YEARS ON THE TORONTO-NEW YORK CIRCUIT

    While returning from New York city,  in 2022, I had walked by Rathburn road in the night, and remembered the time when we first came to Mississauga in 2012.

Through walks in Gozo and Valletta, we got a sense of what life has been like for people whose families have lived here for centuries. Through connections with professionals who worked in North Africa-Middle East- Mint Tea in Tripoli -2012, we met a sub-culture of working people who carried with them different experiences and learnings. These experiences helped us make Sense of our realities, through Associations, learn new Lessons, and work towards Aspirations. Through the lessons learned column, we also made a list of things we would do Differently. (SALAD- Make sense, Associations, Lessons, Aspirations, Do Differently). 

MOVEMENT MEDITATION

Conclusion: The Waters We Leave Behind

Morris Pesin’s eight-minute canoe crossing in 1958 and again on October 28, 1961- on the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Statue of Liberty- carries a quiet lesson about time, legacy, and family journeys. 

It reminds us that we are not isolated individuals racing toward personal achievement. We are links in a chain, shaped by the family journeys we’ve taken, the books we’ve read, the values our parents embedded in us, and the vision we carry forward.

EARLIER PERSPECTIVES- 2016 Movement and Elements Meditation by Alaknanda, in Chamoli district area of Uttarakhand-India