Sweetness

Have you ever had a moon cake? They come out every fall for the Chinese Moon Festival and they are strange and delicious -- sweet sticky lotus paste around an egg yolk, all wrapped in a lovely lotus-shaped crust. I like the ones with two yolks -- they are supposed to be extra lucky -- but the varieties are wide now: fruitcake, chocolate, black sesame, cream puff, etc.

I'm also all about the namaste right now. "Namaste" is a Sanskrit word that means "the Divine in me salutes the Divine in you." It means that all the love, compassion, and joy in me stands up and waves at all that in you, with appreciation and celebration. It also means hello, and can mean goodbye. Traditionally it is used to end yoga classes, and I always used to use it as my bank password back in the days when you actually spoke your password to a teller in a bank -- seemed like a nice thing to say to someone!

Last night I woke up thinking about "namaste" and all its meanings. I've been struggling with some things lately, change, loss, uncertainty -- just the usual angst of existence. I've been at a loss for words -- you know how rare that is for me! "Namaste" floated into my head and I realized it was all I had to say. Hello, I salute the Divine in you, in change, in loss, in uncertainty, I say goodbye with love -- that's everything, right there, in a tidy and peaceful package.

Between the moon cakes and the namaste I am filled with sweetness today. I have stopped struggling because I have been reminded that everything changes, that seeking to hold something causes suffering, that loving with an open heart is the only way to do it, that all you can do against passive aggression is let go, and that all you can really do for someone is release them to be what they will. Most important, I've been brought back to the present moment. I am not caught in memory of the past or hopes for the future. I am here, in Ambassador's Court, while Barry works on a research paper and the Thai sun shines. It's a beautiful day.