Anniversary

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5 March

To celebrate my one-year anniversary of leaving home a small group of people from the meditation center took the train to Barcelona for the day. The weather cooperated and we walked through the old parts of town, visiting markets and churches and sitting at sea-side cafes and walking on the beach.

Later we went to lunch at a small restaurant that was run by a woman who had taken a course(s) and subsequently named her restaurant ¨Dhamma¨(dharma). It was a nice little warm place and the food was quite nice. Then some shopping and more food and coffee was in order before returning to the center in the late afternoon.

It´s hard to believe that a year has passed already. Although there were definitely some hard days, some lonely days, even some boring days, it has moved so fast it just seems like a blur. It almost makes a person think that it´s necessary to travel a lot more to see everything the world has to offer. At the same time, however, I remain firmly convinced that America has some of the prettiest scenery I have ever seen, especially in my adopted home of the southwest US and Rocky Mountains.

The absolutely best part has been never knowing where one day will lead to the next. Just wake up and see what happens. Whether it´s deciding that it´s time to leave China and the next day being in Thailand, or deciding to stay in a little mountain village for a week instead of a day, or suddenly having the opportunity of seeing a cheetah in Africa with my parents, the freedom has been absolutely wonderful. Whether it has just served to confirm a long-held belief or whether I really am learning it for the first time, I feel justified in singing the Red Hot Chili Peppers´song ¨Around the World¨ whenever I´m in a happy mood:

¨I know, I know for sure,
That life is beautiful around the world¨

Thanks for reading

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