The Long Trip Home: Archives

It was nice to get out of the city and have a chance to see some of the landscape that we had not yet seen. The sun was shining bright, and we had all of the windows open, allowing a nice breeze to fill the truck. We drove past fields filled with crops of sugar cane and saw small booths set up along the side of the road selling everything from fresh squeezed juice to car tires. The scene was a mishmash of beautiful country and old rusted buildings, stretches of lush green grass and strips of dried out riverbeds. We were going to the famous Golden Temple in the Holy city of Amritsar, a five-hour drive north of Chandigarh.

We decided to see the Golden Temple in the night so that we could witness the magic of the glowing shrine against the black water and royal blue sky. The entire temple was made of pure white marble that shone in contrast to the gold shrine in the middle. It almost looked like a white candle with a flickering yellow flame coming out of the centre.

The marble pathway led around a black pond about the size of a football field. I was truly humbled as I washed my hands and feet, touched the stairs and walked through the arches leading to the Golden Temple. Placed in the middle of the beautiful pond filled with holy water, it stood shining with a special glow. All around people were kneeling—kissing the ground. Others stood; hands clasped together, eyes shut tight, in prayer.

A wave of emotion rushed over my entire body. The tears quickly built up. Trying to hold them back would have meant denying the incredible power of this holy shrine. My companion Brenda grabbed my hand, tears also welling in her eyes. Many others walked around the pond with tears streaming as they chanted and prayed. It is perhaps this process of letting go of all that has built up inside which allows us to see more clearly who we are and where we are going.

As I walked slowly on the carpet my legs shook beneath me. I paid attention to each breath that entered my nose and filled my lungs. I was able to recognize the energy each breath brought to my body. I found purpose and meaning in each of my steps. My senses were alive, yet I felt very peaceful.

Whether it is the influence of a god or of many gods; whether it is the force of so many people gathered, washing their sins away, praying and believing; whether it is just the energy of all of the emotions released in this place; all of these are elements that I cannot judge. I must only feel and process and recognize.

Perhaps many people are scared to admit that life is so much more than who we are—what we touch and feel or see. Our reality is created by our needs and our wants. It is so easy to become blind to other realities.ÊTo allow ourselves to accept the invisibles and other people's desires—to accept the fact that we are just small pieces of this amazing puzzle—is a very magical way to live. The Golden Temple awoke an inner spirit in me that I had not been aware of before. It showed me that while we strive for what we want to be and need to be, it is just what we allow ourselves to be that restricts our potential.