Today in the woods, I saw Ram Dass1.
Well not really. And yet, in another way, precisely.
The older man had just a little grey hair and sparkly kind eyes under a broad bald forehead, much like the Ram Dass I saw in Boston. Much like the psychedelically-spirited and lifted Ram Dass I imbibed via cassette tapes while driving around for hours on end.
This man had a little dog, I had a big one. They sniffed, we smiled. Both dogs unleashed: the only way dogs should meet.
The leash thing and fear interferes with their socialization. They can’t position themselves where they need to be.
The man had his dog’s tie dyed leash hanging around his neck. My dog’s leash was slung from my shoulder like a Miss America sash. Why shouldn’t a 56 year old dress like Miss America in the woods?
I pray out there. That my America will stop rounding up people via ICE. That we’ll keep our agreements with each other, to live and let live – freely. That we’ll protect what we hold most dear, all beings, on every square inch of American soil. That we’ll project and protect peace.
The man and I chatted for a moment, dogs happy, eyes twinkling, tongues out, butts sniffed. I wished him a great day, that I liked his dog’s rainbow accoutrements. Not sure he understood mine. All good.
There’s really no way to separate the memories of influential people from affecting our daily lives. They are always there, even when they are far away. They are most especially present when they’ve slipped off this mortal coil and only our private relationship with them remains: direct communication.
I see doppelgangers often. They feel like they are a visitation of sorts.
I’m so lucky to have had so many amazing teachers, to have drank in their words of love and expansiveness of spirit. To have made decisions based on values of freedom and acceptance. And I’m lucky to have eyes to still see these folks in all these unusual ways.
Our consciousness tied to our daily lives via memory and trails
Just another day.
In the woods.
FOOTNOTES & SUB-SUBTEXT 😉
- I’ve written about Ram Dass before. He was an incredible storyteller and would say things like “who the hell is he to get enlightened, I’m not enlightened!” and “death is like taking off a tight shoe.”
Learn more about him and his teachings via stories here. ↩︎
