In the card room on Norwegian Dawn...

Nov. 29 2010

God is with me…

I am sitting in the card room on the 12th floor of the cruise ship Norwegian Dawn. A huge smile on my face and a tear in my eye. My theme song is playing on the public P.A. “Little Secrets” by Passion Pit. I don’t know how they got it in the rotation, considering it’s a relatively new song, and not a popular song by any means. Maybe Amma did it : )

I’ve just finished saying my mantra the recommended 108 times or so (who’s counting) in the chapel here on deck 12, staring out into the vastness of the sea of the Caribbean, rather than at the metal cross bearing a very sad looking, slumping Jesus, hanging by nails, with thorny crown. I thought, seeing as my mantra inspiration was joy, poor Jesus would be an inappropriate object to meditate on.

I am pure joy, and I have to say that mention of this exercise in optimism cannot be ignored. At the ashram, the gentleman who explained to me the mantra given to me by Amma, explained to me also that I should, like I mentioned, say my mantra 108 times daily, while , (and said in a wonderful Punjab accent) “focusing on something joyful; perhaps Amma laughing, as there’s nothing more joyful as seeing Amma laugh.” Also he further explained; I should try to see Amma in every person and this has been a truly wild exercise as I walk the the pool deck, passing the man drinking a bucket of beer, with the tee-shirt reading, “I’m right 96% of the time, and who cares about 4%. Cheers to Amma.

Here in the card room, before I began to type, two boys were playing spades with their father who was about to smack the older of them for telling his brother the wrong rules to the game so he could beat him, to which the younger started mimicking Donald Trump screeching,” You’re fired!” to the older. The older kept saying in response, “only Donald Trump can say that” to which the younger replied repeatedly “I just said it, you’re fired, you’re fired, I said it, you’re fired” They left shortly after. Praise Amma!

Then there was the older couple sitting playing cards, and the man is condescending asking the woman, where the 11th card is. “I know I dealt it to you, where is it? I know I gave it to you”, to which she replied something in a dejected tone I couldn’t make out, to which the man roared, “So you screwed up! You screwed it up! Oh it doesn’t matter anyway!” I chided over to them, “She’s got it up her sleeve! And laughed affectionately toward them” The joke was wasted, The man only asked me who I was talking to; there was no one else in the room. No one laughed; they left shortly after. Amma bless them both.

That’s when my song came on…

Let this be our little secret, no one needs to know or hear it… higher and higher and higher… higher and higher and higher

A family of four just entered, grandma, pa, ma, and daughter about 12. They’re getting ready to play some partner card game. Ma asks daughter if she want’s to be on pa’s team, to which she replies a most sorrowful and distant, “I don’t care” I smiled at her, and stirred up a conversation. Turns out she was 11 and sad about being too old to hang out with the young kids and too young for the “teen zone”. She was not interested in playing cards, but keeps looking over at me; smile back. Amma smiles for everyone.

Bridget is angry. After a coffee, and light breakfast, and naked sunbath on our balcony suite; (which we were upgraded to by waiting till the very last minute to check in, nearly missing the cruise entirely) I told her I needed to get on the internet, maybe play some poker, and then wanted to do some writing. I asked her if she wanted to meet up at 4pm for the pilates course. She replied yes, but then asked me to wait for her, so we could leave the room together. She then followed me to the casino, around the ship, and then to the internet lounge, where she hovered over me, as I sent a message to Alex via Facebook, asking her if she would ship the gifts I got for my new California friends, at the ashram. This did not please Bridget. She asked me angrily if I had fallen in love out there in California; to which I replied, “Yes, with a lot of people”. She was not amused, and her reply was not pleasant; though I can’t say I remember what she said. I only remember saying in reply, “I’ll see you at four for Pilates, please leave me. Amma love her.

Well what am I trying to say here?

I guess it’s that even on a majestic floating city, where every physical and mental need, is catered to and even over exaggeratedly met, so many people are utterly miserable.

A grossly overweight woman walks in, carrying a plate of desserts, not smiling.

First, they make me feel grateful…

For the fact that I am me and none other, living in the grace of the divine, and in possession of the indescribable secret to joy; and though it has nothing to do with where you are, what you have, or who you are with; it is the key to the enjoyment of all these fruits of life.

Ok, ok, I’ll tell you; it’s simply bringing loving awareness to every situation and compassion to every person. That’s it.

So secondly, I have made a change. In seeing Amma in every person, like my mantra instructor said, I can see that we are all on some version, and at some stage of the path to becoming enlightened. And every step is beautiful in it’s own right, and more so, in it’s contribution to the million color patchwork that is the path from utter darkness to absolute light.

A side note, I look up from the computer and the card room is nearly full now, mostly with smiles, and one couple arguing over the rules to some game called “Mastermind”, (ironic no?) but mostly smiles, even our little pre-teen, (we keep flirting).

Pa from the foursome continues our conversation from earlier, and asks, “if I may interrupt you, what is this experiment in writing you are working on?” to which I reply, I’m about half way through an undertaking in practicing optimism in my life, and I’m writing about the experience as I go.”

Ma asks me if I’m going to do the same thing with pessimism after, to which I reply, “I’m pretty sure I know where that leads, and it’s what made me want to try the optimism thing.”

Smiles around. And the room lightens.

The man then says to me and over to his wife, “you know who you remind me of…?

I reply my standard answer to this nearly daily question I’m asked, “I if I only had a dollar for every time I was asked that question…”

“Our son in law Michael,” and to his wife, “not how he looks, but how he… I don’t know, how he talks I guess.”

But I don’t think it’s how I “talk”, and I don’t think it’s Michael that they see. It’s probably Amma.

P.S. just so we’re clear, I don’t mean, Amma, the Guru that is our new super awesome Messiah walking the earth now. I’m not joining a cult, or turning devotee, not just yet anyway. Now, maybe, if there’s some water walking going on in front of me or something; even water into wine would be leave room for doubt. What I mean is that the Amma, the enlightened being in me that is the enlightened being in you, and everybody, is easily recognizable as a common characteristic seen in those who reveal it by sharing it with others.

Namaste