From Spanishly Salt-free, to Spanish Sunset

Listening -only listening- to a shower of compliments along the 15-minute walk to Espanyola Way was the warm-up to the party. The euphoria of the celebration -and probably some alcohol in the public system- was paving the way and knocking down any inhibition. I was amused and curious to see how the celebrations would be in a non-soccer country, on a Spanish road of a Saxon country, having Spain won! And maybe my 50% Spanish blood was jumping and sizzling inside me too. The streets were exultant. It was as if everybody –regardless of nationality and favorite sports- needed an excuse to celebrate.


It took me long minutes to browse one single block, the most popular block, opening my way through people of all nationalities that were just joining the celebration. Blowing their horns, banging their drums, drinking, dancing to those beats, taking photos, laughing, drinking, asking to have photos taken to and from strangers, compliments flying in the air, drinking…. I could tell there was too much drinking already. If it was hot and humid, that block had easily 10C more than the rest of the neighborhood. I enjoyed witnessing the party, but I did not see myself staying there much longer.

I was ready to walk back home when I bumped into my inviting neighbours, drinking, of course, and Mr Clarinet playing his instrument. They seemed to be in some world of their own by now… until I witnessed a cold-blood awakening. A colossal policeman with unfriendly face, the most intimidating policeman of the whole group that was keeping an eye on the crowd, approached Mr.Clarinet: “Keep that away”. Of course, how do you keep a Mr Clarinet quiet? A Mr SPANISH Clarinet quiet?! “YOU keep it away or I take it away.” Some further and closer Spanish reaction… now physically closer too… quite audacious since Mr Clarinet was half the size of Mr Law-and-Order… let alone he was playing as visitor! “YOU keep it away or I take it away” (I thought, is he human? Is he re-playing a recording?). The streets were a carnival, sheer noise, the clarinet was just one more voice (and at least a melodic one), and steps away they were blowing horns and playing drums and all kinds of small metallic instruments! Mr Clarinet was suddenly punched by common-sense and immediately kept his brass instrument away.

They seemed to remain in their own worlds…. I had a taste of the Latin enthusiasm and spontaneity, of the infectious celebration mode, however, not all that shines is…
I had already decided it was time for me to go home, after this colorful, vibrant, loud sip of celebration. It was only 6.40pm… plenty of time to enjoy sunset!

I was delighted with my decision: sunset by the canal is a hard-to-beat choice. And what a sunset! And just as if I needed any kind of reassurance, it turned out to be a Spanish-colored sky!

Some Spanish Salt

Soccer World Cup Final. Miami, as a cosmopolitan city and as a worldwide Mecca for tourists, was not blind –or deaf- to the World Cup, in spite of soccer being not the most popular North American sport.


I was at the furthest point from the line of construction, literally by the water, and I could hear the “ooohhhs” and “ahhhhs” of groups watching the game either at their homes or in the bar on the ground level. I had no idea of how the game was going; I did not even know who were the finalists!

There was a massive block of dark clouds right below the sun, so once the sun would get veiled by that grey cotton, I would go back home and get some work done. On my way into the building, I had to go through this group of people celebrating full-on: chanting, blowing their horns, it was like a party in extract –reduced but potent. A guy with the red-and-yellow painted on his cheeks was playing his clarinet, and started playing it at me while I kept walking. Guess who had won! 

“Felicitaciones!” I told him and his friend, while making my way into the lobby. And he started playing some serenade at me, walking backwards and opening my way- which just made me smile! He immediately invited me to join them to their celebrations on Espanyola Way, a short, nearby picturesque strip, Spanish in architecture, full of restaurants, lounges, and one-of-a-kind boutiques. They would be leaving in minutes only. There are going to be 2,000 Spaniards- he said- while being so keen on me joining them and contagiously enthusiastic about the celebration. He was with an Argentine friend.

I was amused by the developments. Would this happen in any other Saxon country or city? I doubt it... Should I go and check out the party? I had not been in a World Cup celebration since I was a kid in Argentina! World Cup, once every four years…. Where will I be in 4 years?

After a quick shower, I was on my way.

Espanyola Way in the quiet heat of the afternoon.

Corner at Espanyola Way: so Spanish and so Miami!

Breathe, you are alive

Breathe and you know that you are alive.

Breathe and you know that all is helping you

Breathe and you know that you are the world

Breathe and you know that the flower’s breathing you

Breathe for yourself and breathe for the world

Breathe in compassion and breathe out the joy

Breathe and be one with the air that you breathe

Breathe and be one with the river that flows

Breathe and be one with the earth that you tread

Breathe and you break the thought of birth and death

Breathe and you see impermanence is life

Breathe for your joy to be steady and calm

Breathe for your sorrow to flow away

Breathe to renew every cell in your blood

Breathe to renew the depths of consciousness

Breathe and you dwell in the here and now

Breathe and all you touch is new and real.

[From the Songs Book at the Blue Cliff Monastery “SONGS FOR MEDITATION PRACTICE- THIS IS A MOMENT OF HAPPINESS”]

No Expectations: Best Surprises or Touching Sunset

Friday was not promising as a spectacular sunset day. There were many clouds on the horizon. However, there was one small strip, right around where the sun should be setting that was remaining clear. So in spite of what was a lost cause to the common eye, I decided to stay and enjoy.

There were intermittent curtains of rain on the horizon, right on that strip where the sun would be setting, over the bridge.

Then, as sunset time (8.10pm) started approaching, the scenery kept changing at every minute, and I knew I had made the right decision. It was so versatile, that I almost felt like I was losing awareness and missing out by taking photos.

The hues from baby blue to golden orange, mingled with clouds in between, started to reflect on the water. As if it was a massive metallic sheet of paper in blues and golden-oranges that someone was flagging playfully.

Then there was also an opening in the skies behind some skyscrapers across the canal, painting a flag of grey (water) golden orange (the strip) and grey (sky) on the horizon.

As 8.10 was closer, the intensity of the colors was extraordinary, and how the different hues of light were playing on different shapes and shadows, from clouds to waves. It was that magic short-lived moment when the whole sky, regardless of its proximity to the sunset spot, starts getting tinted in fiery colors.

 

And then, there it was: you could guess it was the perfect sphere of incandescent fire behind those gray clouds. There were those two tiny spots in a cloud over a house through which you could see that unique fluorescent red.

Just when things do not look that promising, there you have it, the always spectacular sunset. No expectations –maybe in the deep certainty that Nature is never deceiving in terms of display of visuals. No specific expectations, sheer openness and curiosity to see how it will unveil, sheer will to connect with that almost spiritual time of the day, regardless of what it will show to the eye. Spectacularly different always, in its own unique surprising ways. It is always there; just manifesting in different ways. Up to us to be open to the game… The kaleidoscope is always there; up to us to look into it...

“Life is filled with suffering but it also contains many wonders. If you want to touch the wonders of life, come back to the present moment. If you are distracted, real life is not possible. Your true presence makes life possible, and it cannot be bought."
[From “Understanding our Mind”, by Thich Nhat Hanh, chapter 44, The Right View]

The Miami Expectations

Gold & Silver. Sunrise Skies on The Beach- June.

Expectations Check:
Just as at the beginning of the New York chapter I had warned you not to expect a “Sex-&-The-City” blog, the same goes here. Please do not expect a reality show or the latest tips on what is ‘hot and sexy’.

What you can expect of this chapter is…
Pandora as in life: a bit of reflection, a bit of incredible anecdotes, a bit of sharing my questionings, a bit of meeting unique characters, and sheer enjoyment of Nature. Just as I am doing here: not all can be intellectual work; I get a lot out of a golden sunrise on the ocean, or a multicolor dramatic sunset on the canal and city, or of a potent full moon between the clouds, shedding silver light over the beach. In my mindfulness (maybe also in my recently re-conquered peace) I can take pleasure in and appreciate the vibrant and eclectic architecture, or a hypnotizing flower. Not all needs to be shared in words and thoughts… a photo capturing a breathtaking moment in Nature is to me as fulfilling and worth sharing as (if not more than) a good story, and enough on a stand-alone basis. I cannot bring you here with me to watch the fragile sunrise for fifteen minutes or the theatrical sunset for half an hour, but I can share with you those visuals and I trust you get the same therapeutic and nourishing effects that they have on me. Whether through a story or a photo or an inspiring quote, you will be transported to a unique place in minutes only.

And following the Blog’s motto, mesmerizing experiences and insights is what will be shared. Hence, the frequency of postings might not necessarily be daily.

Thanks for continuing flying with this gypsy and welcome to a new start… welcome to the Miami chapter! Now, let’s go and continue flying!

“May I accept unjust loss
Such as others abusing me
Or slandering me out of jealousy
And may I offer the victory to others!
And if someone I have helped
One for whom I had great hopes
Harms me without slightest reason,
May I view him as my holy Guru!”


[From “The Eight Verses of Transforming the Mind” by Geshe Langri Tangpa]

Cotton-Candy. Sunset Skies on the Ocean- June.

Fiery Sunset pallette on the Canal- June.

Pastel clouds. Sunset on the Canal- June.

Metalic Sunset on the Canal- May.

The Miami Chapter

For the last 50 days, I have been doing daily postings. The intention was to try to catch up with real time. Mission accomplished! After that period with postings lagging in time, now that all relevant experiences and thoughts from previous destinations have been shared, I am thrilled to start sharing with you live!

As you may have noticed so far, every change of location and environment gives a different spin to the Blog, although what is shared follows essentially the same intention of its day of birth.

Stay tuned because Miami will be shorter than the NY chapter. See where my Kilim takes me next!



Sequence of Sunrise today July 7th on South Beach. The joyful show returned after five days of dull grayness and storms.

“Stop looking for reasons to be unhappy. Where has that gotten you? Surrender! If you do not want to be happy for yourself, then be happy for the people you claim you love. Make them happy by being happy yourself.”

[From “IF NOT NOW, WHEN?” by Tsem Tulku Rinpoche, www.kechara.com. Kechara is a non-profit Buddhist organization.]

Where my Kilim took me

And “boxes” to me at this stage of life is Miami. So, my kilim took me to Miami to start with no further due my new life. This new start was not as fast and easy as you are reading these lines. It came after much thought, introspection, meditation, practical analysis, and listening to myself and to the circumstances, mixed with ever-surfacing grief.


Maybe for you Miami is synonym of shopping, beach fun, people watching and partying. Actually, just as I showed you a different face of New York, I am thrilled to share with you a different Miami. I am not denying that Miami offers all of the above, but thankfully there is way more to this city than that! You can tailor Miami to your own needs.

I would have my own retreat in Miami – I could not have it in India, however I had many elements to have it here. And as a friend told me: “Thankfully, you are not the type of person who needs to go to Katmandu to dive into yourself.” With this in mind and the blessing of being in such an energizing and yet relaxing place, I started my ‘retreat’ in sheer discipline.

“To live alone does not mean to reject the world and society. Living alone means living in the present moment deeply observing what is happening. If we do that, we will not be dragged into the past or swept away into thoughts about the future. If we cannot live in the present moment, even if we are alone in the deepest forest, we are not really alone. If we are fully alive in the present moment, even if we are in a crowded, urban area, we can still be said to be living alone. (…) To live alone means to live in mindfulness. It does not mean to isolate oneself from society. If we know the better way to live alone, we can be in real touch with people and society, and we will know what to do and what not to do to be of help.”
[From “OUR APPOINTMENT WITH LIFE” – Discourse on living happily in the present moment by Thich Nhat Hanh]

Sunrise on The Beach. Not the only place where the sun rises...

Welcome to “My Boxes” – In touch with Life!

“Do not pursue the past. Pursue the past means to regret what has already come and gone. We regret the loss of the beautiful things of the past which we can no longer find in the present. When someone thinks how his body was in the past, how his feelings were in the past, how his perceptions were in the past, how his mental factors were in the past, how his consciousness was in the past, when he thinks that and gives rise to a mind which is enslaved by those things which belong to the past, then that person is pursuing the past. (…) We should not pursue the past because the past no longer is. When we are lost in thoughts of the past, we lose the present. Life exists only in the present moment. To lose the present is to lose life. We must say good-bye to the past so that we may return to the present. To return to the present is to be in touch with life.”


[From “OUR APPOINTMENT WITH LIFE” – Discourse on living happily in the present moment by Thich Nhat Hanh]

Sunrise in My Boxes. From my balcony.

A path full of stars in My Boxes.

Blue skies, eclectic buildings and tropical nature in My Boxes.

Colorful, happy vegetation in My Boxes.

Sunset on the other side of the pond from My Boxes.

Colorful breathtaking sunsets in My Boxes

Full Moon over My Boxes.

Time to go to Boxes

I needed a radical change of environment: architecture, people, climate, network, activities. Above all, I needed the environment that would enable me to get a grip on my own life and move on with no further due. So I decided to take this ‘car’ to ‘boxes’(*).



“Touching the present moment, we abide in happiness. There are always enough internal and external conditions to make us happy in the present moment. This is not to deny that there are also elements of suffering in us and around us. But the elements of suffering do not remove the elements of happiness. If we touch only suffering elements, we are not really living. Some people become imprisoned in their suffering.”


[From “Understanding our Mind” by Thich Nhat Hanh – chapter 47-The present moment]

(*) “Boxes”: in Grand Prix jargon, where the cars get fixed super fast to continue in the race full throttle.
 

The sun continues rising in spite of the clouds. And because of the clouds the show is even richer to the eye.

Sunrise on the North Atlantic.

Time to say Good-Bye

I had been searching for answers to questions that had been hammering me inside, louder and louder after specific triggers. In all my confusion of mixed feelings, never-ending exponential uncertainties and never-ending painful discoveries, it was clear that I needed “the” triple vote for this one (mind-heart-gut) and could not force the timing for voting. So in the meantime I would go with the flow, though in almost perfect awareness in order to listen to these usually soft-voiced votes. And one day, the results from the votes were there unavoidable, brusquely on my face, loud into my ears: it was time to say good-bye to NY and beyond, much in spite of my pain. What happened is not to be shared on this blog, or not at this moment. However what I would like to share –and what follows the purpose of this blog- are these thoughts:

“When someone shouts at you, when someone scolds you, when someone is rude to you, when someone has abused you or is hurting you, when someone doesn’t agree with you or opposes you, that is when you practice the Dharma.


Deception, stealing and lying are causes for small-scale wars that lead to the loss of inner peace for others and ourselves.


Not getting revenge is a true sign of inner peace and strength.


You experience compassion when you give it, not when you get it.


It is easy to be nice to someone who is nice to you. They are nice to you, you are nice to them. That is not religion, that is not spiritualism, that is not Catholicism, that is not Jesus, that is not Buddha, that is not God. It is nice and easy to be nice to someone who is nice to you, but it is not easy to be nice to someone who is not nice to you. Religion and spiritual practice is being nice and patient to people who are not to you.


Loving others does not mean you neglect yourself. It just means you find better ways to love yourself through others.


Time passes fast. Situations change. Whatever we work so hard to accomplish in life vanishes fast. People age fast. People die and they never come back as we know them, so we have to make the best of it while they are with us now. Do not let simple obstacles –laziness, fear, avoidance, excuses- stop you from doing the best you can for people who have been kind to you in many ways. Time and death of people will not stand still for you to finish your project, plans, works and wishes. If the real reason for what we are doing now is bring happiness to those we care about, and we neglect, mistreat, forget them or make them sad, then how do we know they will still be around or alive when we are ready?


Everything that we have is only for a very, very short time. And the most important thing in our lives are the people who care about us –these are the people who have loyally stayed with us and who have been by our side through our bad habits, bad temper, bad words and anger. It is these people –who have stayed with us over time- who are important. In the end, we might lose everything except these people.”

[From “IF NOT NOW, WHEN?” by Tsem Tulku Rinpoche, www.kechara.com. Kechara is a non-profit Buddhist organization.]

Day 3: Sunrise in the Catskills and Sunset in Brooklyn

We went for our last hike at 8am. We would do one of the ‘truncated hikes’ of yesterday, which had been eagerly recommended by another passerby hiker: a three-hour hike to Sunset Rock, Boulder Rock and the North and South Lakes. The view from Sunset Rock was short from spectacular, maybe because its beauty is saved for later in the day. We took a break on a ridge of Boulder Rock, with a stunning view of the Hudson River and the valley. Warm bright sun, just warm enough to stand the strong fresh breeze. Lonely eagles and falcons gliding the skies every now and then. The air ‘painting’ the mountains in the horizon in that indescribable blue hue. The quietness and scenery made me wonder what life of natives would have been like here a couple hundred of years ago.

On the way back home, we stopped at Saugerties, which is supposed to have ranked within the top 10 best towns to live in the US. Although I could not tell what the determinant for such a rating was, I did not find in the hour we spent there any particularly irresistible feature, other than the houses and stores looking like Disney World’s toy village. Unless the Argentine restaurant at one of the main corners was determinant?!

The way back home took again longer than expected. We were pleasantly welcomed by the trees in our neighborhood all in white and pale pink flowers. Spring in the city had sprung during that weekend. Ah… home sweet home. We were eager to leave and we were now warmly relieved and happy to be back.

Is this need for change, this need to go away and to come back, part of humans’ circadian cycles?

Day 3: From Kaaterskills region to Saugerties and back to NYC.

View from Sunset Rock.

View from Boulder Rock: valley, Hudson river and far into the horizon.

From Boulder Rock ridge down the slope into the valley. Hudson River in the horizon.

Close up view of the horizon from Boulder Rock: Island in Hudson River and mountains in blue.

Night 2: Night out in Tannersville or Fixation Time

We knew that the plan for that night was to have drinks in Tannersville, another small picturesque village in the Catskills. What we did not know was the couple of colorful characters that we would meet!

Character #1: a golfer in his fifties started making conversation to us. Even if he did not say he was a golfer, you could tell he was one. He was fixated with us, and in apology for his fixation would buy us one round of drinks. And, a second one. He was clearly in need of making conversation, particularly sharing his frustration for been eliminated from a major golf tournament. He was desperately trying to get attention, which he was not getting much from me at least, though he was from the rest of the restaurant and from the bartender, concerned for his ethylic saturation. Finally, he left.

Character #2: a guy in his 40s-50s (yes, that type that you cannot tell the age!) fixated with me. He would not stop flirting with me (thinking that I was sola –which in spirit, I undoubtedly was) in an intellectual discussion, meshed with compliments and unsuccessful invites to get up and dance to Bossa Nova tunes that were playing live in this cozy upscale restaurant. I figured it was high time to engage the absent-spirit-and-present-body sitting by my side into this dialogue, and thankfully that saved me from persistently flirty unsolicited invites. Needless to say, the discussion now took a spin to the sheer intellectual side. Now it was hard for me to participate in this heated conversation that looked like an intellectual (ego?) competition ranging from non-mainstream books read to philosophy.

Until absent-spirit-and-present-body said as part of his philosophical insights: I am deeply unhappy. But in some way it is good: unhappiness can be a motivation to get out of it. To what I responded: It might, except if those living around you shall pay for it!

I stood up to go to the washroom, and left them both in that sequence of jaw-dropped turned into smile, and further compliments on my point from Mr Flirty.  I could see that with his facial expression and eyes he tried to get absent-spirit-present-body to join him in his Kudos.... naïf of him.

 

Itinerary of Day 2. Also included driving by Hunter, another typical village in the area.

Source: GoogleMaps.

Day 2: Village-hoping. Hike-hoping.

"My balcony" in New Paltz: view down into the valley and into the horizon. View from the ridge at the "secret spot" uphill, right after waking up and before starting the descend to leave NP.

"My balcony" in New Paltz: view to the "nose", landmark of NP. View from the ridge at the "secret spot" uphill, right after waking up and before starting the descend to leave NP.

Morning of village hoping. Fist stop: Woodstock. The legendary Woodstock. It is charming, however I must confess that probably over-marketed ( I was expecting something different) and “over-shoppized” (too many shops!). It hosts a number of Buddhist places. However the town overall seem to be living out of (exploiting?) the past, some very past past.

Next stop: Phoenicia. Tiny village with imposing name. In those bunch of blocks baptized Phoenicia, there is only one general store, if that gives you an idea.

Afternoon of a few failed hikes. The tricky issue with visiting this area at that time of the year is that there are still considerable patches of ice and of snow. After a couple of stops and attempts to start hikes, we finally found something doable for that time of the day: Kaaterskill Falls. The dual cascades total 260 feet (79 m) in height, making it one of the higher waterfalls in New York, and one of the Eastern United States' taller waterfalls. Waterfalls –regardless of their ranking in ‘tallest’ and ‘widest’ - are to me always awe-creating, hypnotizing, soothing and energizing. Mesmerizing for the eye, immediately transforming for the spirit.

I have a few months left in order to figure out how to live this life for the rest of my life: to enjoy this freedom, to enjoy the big city life, the quiet town homely life, the outdoors and Nature in it different variations of wilderness (from soothing beach to raw mountain) at my leisure, to have a ‘productive’ life and be able to escape to the meditation-inviting, unwinding, invigorating Nature according to my needs and not to a policy handbook.

Signs to Kaaterskill Falls. Photo Credit Wikimedia.

Kaaterskill Falls in the evening.

Night 1: A Buddhist Message in a Horoscope Bottle

From Chronogram Magazine 4-10.

The first night, in New Paltz, we were at this funky yet inviting coffee shop. I was ready to crash after the road-trip and the long intense hike, but we needed to wait for the battery to get charged. Even though I was offered a laptop, I did not have the energy to ‘connect’ with the world. I just knew I needed some quiet time. While having a decaf-nonfat-extra hot-vanilla latte, I started flipping through a local magazine. I stopped at the Horoscope section which seemed unusually vast, and was touched with what I read. I must confess that I am not a horoscope-follower, much less a believer. I read them occasionally out of fun and curiosity, only if I spare the time.

At that moment, I felt somehow identified. Now in perspective, I am baffled too. If you have been following the blog, you will be baffled too. And as time goes by from that night, my astonishment only increases. Timely revealing or sheer coincidence?

“Aries (March 20-April 19) You’re getting a lot of bold messages to be yourself, but you also seem to have way too many choices for who that self is. Beyond all the seemingly tangible possibilities is a chaotic realm where you simply don’t have the answer. Every time you seem to get a clue, something changes. We’re accustomed to plastering those unknowns over with labels and other assumptions, rather than leaving the question open. While a mystery like this can be uncomfortable to live with, I suggest you stay in a state of uncertainty for as long as you possibly can. Consider it a kind of meditation. Embrace the chaos of who you are, who you are not, and who you might be. This is designed to help you have greater access to your potential rather than pretending it doesn’t exist. At the moment far more is possible than you’re likely to be aware of. As the next two months progress, you’re going to get a taste of what this potential is; yet in order to have this potential be real you need to keep your mind open and make sure you’re ready to change, adapt, and go on a new adventure at all times. Stay loose. Notice the game of pretend that we’re all taught to play the moment we’re confronted with an unknown. Unknowns are your best friend right now, and I suggest you keep them near and dear to your heart.”


[by Eric Francis, Chronogram Magazine – 4/10]

A Weekend in the Mountains – Day 1

New Paltz! That adorable small town in the Gunks(*). Cozy, laid-back, bohemian and attractive toy town. The mere fact of arriving here winds you down. The cute one-of-a-kind shops on the short main strip, the slower overall pace, people’s friendliness, the large proportion of students and of climbers.

After a longer than expected drive, all I wanted was to get my body moving and out of the car! So we went for a hike. One hour into the expedition and our energies had already changed for better- we swapped trip fatigue/tension for physical fatigue and the magical effects of endorphins. It was a four-hour hike to Minnewaska Lake, including brisk walk through medium strenuous terrain and forests, and going down a small gorge to cross a rock-bedded stream of ice cold water - barefoot in chilly weather. Because they were repairing the trail leading to the lake, and because we wanted to get to the lake, this seemed the only way.

The Minnewaska lake is part of the Minnewaska State Park Preserve, a 8500 ha preserve on the Gunks. It is one of the three sky lakes within this preserve –together with Lake Awosting and Mud Pond. It is a mile long by a quarter-mile. There was a thin layer of ice melting in one end of the lake, so thin that it seemed transparent, like a solid massive spider web on the water.

Unfortunately the sun was about to set soon, so we could not stay longer in ‘paradise’, the flat stone beach of Minnewaska lake.

Ah, yes. When in life we are running too intensely, that ice cold water is so replenishing and welcomed by our system, as counterintuitive as it may seem to us.

Ah, yes. Sometimes when we want something so badly, it does not matter if the trail is shut down, we will do what it takes to get to our destination.

(*) The Shawagunks (aka, the Gunks) is the Northern end of a long ridge within the Appalachian Mountains that begins in Virginia.

Afternoon Sun on Minnewaska Lake.

Paradise. Or flatstone beach on Minnewaska Lake.

Ice melting on a tip of Minnewaska Lake.