Breakfast with Buddha

Every morning I wake up to see if there are any emails from Danny, the CEO of HANDS in Nepal. Reading his experiences, as he treks in and out of the village Dharka, where the school is being built has been mine link to the my "boys in Nepal". Lately I've been disappointed to see day after day nothing- no news, no emails. Although this is to be expected because the village is remote, there are no internet cafes for miles around, and even if there were, electricity is something that comes and goes in Nepal like dreams, I still somehow expect for messages to magically appear on my laptop as I slooowwlly open the lid and turn on the airport signal. Wed. morning was like Xmas! There were 4-two from Don and two from Danny-and even one from our Tibetan son Kelsang Lodue-plus another from Rajan-our friend and village fixer! I felt like calling in sick so I could savor each and everyone to reread over and over. First, Don, apologizing of not emailing and giving detailed accounts of village life and construction. The news was great-foundations dug, walls are going up, a hired bulldozer made a new area below the school site for a playground. He is loving the village life-so like "home" (meaning Africa, not USA!!) He has also made a few visits to the orphanage in Kathmandu that we have all adopted as another worthy cause, Buddhist Child Home. Don has put our son Kelsang in charge of repairing broken windows there and has a few other projects, so typical of a contractor to have "side jobs"! I had been teasing that he will find a good Nepali wife and stay there in Nepal. So my next email, from my Tibetan son Kelsang, assured me that "Dad" only wants one wife, me, and has never brought any Nepali wife to house there. Next, Danny's email. More good news about school building, the warm and friendly people in the village and a trek to a nearby canyon to find the source of water for the village. They took a short break from construction to do a trek around the base of Everest with Ram (villager and porter) who was taking a few other clients from America. The boys jumped on the chance to take a 5 day hike to see Himalayan mountain tops higher than the ones in Ganesh Himal, the area of the school and village. "What an adventure,"Danny writes, "but this Everest luxury trekking is not for me, too many way-too-geared up trekkers who are trying to achieve their dreams of Everest-I can't wait to get back to the village." That's my boy-luxury to him now is when you get a slice of apple pie with your dahl bhat, and a hot bucket shower. I remember that merciful hot bucket shower on my little jaunt around Anapurna a few years ago-it was the bee's knees to ladle a spoonful of sweet hot goodness down my tired muscles after walking "up up, down down" all day.

Breakfast with Buddha is how I am thinking these days as I carefully draw open my laptop lid to see what emails await from Kathmandu, Darkha and beyond. I hope those reading this have their own morning rituals and remember a great quote of Buddha's, which goes something like this: "Is your concern about the future interfering with your enjoyment of the present?" Namaste everyone! Good Morning!