Heart Wanderings

I had the strangest feeling before leaving Australia. It was a feeling of mystery. In fact, I felt like I was going to die.
“Goodbye dear ones. Know that I will miss you.”
Scarcely had I exited the aeroplane when India struck me like a ton of bricks. Like a fart in the face. Phaw!
It struck from toenail to tooth; it spanned the spectrum – the vivid clashing colors, the cocktail scents of sandalwood and sewage, the cosmic music of 20 million people going about their daily lives in the Great Mumbai.
Taken aback and out of wack, I hesitated at the airport exit. But I had to go on – a spiritual journey awaited me and I would face whatever came my way. I straightened my back, set my jaw, and took the first step.
Alas, the first 12 hours involved much stress, much swindling and many rookie mistakes. The first taxi driver got lost. My hotel was run by creepy crooks. A man ran off to “photocopy” my passport and took one hour too many. With every firecracker (it was Dewali Festival) my highly strung nerves had me bouncing around like popcorn.
It was too much so I busted out of there, leaving the hotel without saying goodbye and hitting the road for Ganeshpuri.
The last inconvenience was the accommodation, or lack thereof. I walked to the last hotel, dragging my feet beneath the weight of my bags, feeling infuriated at the mysterious group of pilgrims who were apparently occupying every room in town.
“Hello there.”
I looked up from my rumination to see a serene young man with an amused smile sitting on the hotel balcony. After my misadventures it was comforting to see a Westerner. “Hi, I’m Jordan.” I said.
“I’m Uddiva. Pleased to meet you.”
“What brings you here?”
“I’m on pilgrimage with my ashram.”
I grimaced, but tried not to hold it against him. “Ah. Where’s home?”
“Melbourne in Australia.”
“What?! Me too! I live in Mornington.” I exclaimed.
“Our ashram is in Mount Eliza, just five minutes from Mornington!” Uddiva’s amused smile had widened but he remained serene and didn’t even seem that surprised.
Me, I was stunned. Stupefied. Dumbstruck.
“Uh… what?!” I managed.
“Come with me, I’ll show you to a room and in the morning you can meet our teacher…”
As Uddiva led me to my room I noticed a vague buzzing sensation in the back of my head. It felt like destiny.
And so it was that my spiritual search was cut short. I was about to learn that I’d found my guru and spiritual home in India, and yet I’d been living just around the corner from them my entire life.