Inclement weather in NJ

When I watch the Weather Channel, I see the Arctic cold spells in Michigan and Illinois and feel lucky! On Wednesday morning, when I woke up and peeped out I saw the gentle drift of snow flakes. Later, I stepped out, leather gloves, snow cap, snow shoes and two layers of clothing including a long coat and scrapper in hand. It feels like dusting the car off some “Atta” so the effort is not much- except when you have to clear hardened ice or snow... If you are covered up you can take it- no pain at all. You only need to be open to this new experience. I then get into the car, start the engine, turn on the heaters and step back into my home. The car gets nicely warm and cozy in 10 minutes and I drive off to work listening to Farida Khanum and Mehdi Hassan. The flakes keep coming at your windscreen and fly off the edges of the car. It is a wonderful sight. Today the temperatures are expected to be at -4 degrees Fahrenheit.

I remind myself that Change is the only constant in life and there is little use in pining for a past existence. The mind, of course, does its tricks and harks back to the wonderful times I have had with all of you, other friends and kin. I must confess that existential questions do come to my mind…. Also, life here has a different quality- we are pretty much alone and the world here seems to be built on a substratum of deep silence- as compared to the cacophony and bustle of Mumbai. That takes getting used to and now I find that I get irritated when someone speaks loudly or incessantly! So the mindless chatter on TV does not interest me and while the family is watching their favorite soap in the evening, I retire early with a book – usually I read one of the Advaita or Zen Masters and drift off to sleep, mulling over a Koan