Jan 13, 2007
I’m on an extended tour of Turkey and Bulgaria with many of my friends who are students of Sri Chinmoy. In the evenings we often get together and put on skits about inspiring topics. My friend, Databir, frequently directs these amateur performances and he is phenomenal. He can put together an entire production, from writing the script to getting the costumes to rehearsing with the actors, in a few days.
Databir occasionally asks me to perform in his skits, but not because I’m a good actor – it’s because I’m good at memorizing lines! Concerning my acting, I’ve been bluntly told that I overact and that every character has way too much energy!
The other day Databir handed me the script of a skit he wrote about the life of Albert Einstein and asked if I would play the part of Dr. Einstein. I accepted and figured that this was an opportunity for self-transcendence. If I could improve my glass balancing or one leg hopping, why couldn’t I make progress in my acting? I was determined not to wait until the last minute to learn my lines, but to really take my time and try to get into the character.
Jan 11, 2007
Lately, I’ve become somewhat of a lemon expert, but in a peculiar sort of way. You see, unlike most connoisseurs, the taste of the lemon doesn’t concern me in the slightest! It all started when I was training to break the speed record for peeling and eating a five-ounce lemon. For weeks I searched though hundreds, possibly thousands, of lemons to find the perfect fruit for the record. Now, whenever I see a lemon, I automatically size it up for how fast I can gobble it down!
Maybe that is why when my friends and I recently went into the restaurant of a small hotel in Kaliakra, Bulgaria, I immediately noticed the bowl of lemons sitting on a table in the reception area. I was perplexed. I could understand if the bowl had been full of apples. After all, an apple would make a nice snack for one of the guests. But a lemon?
Anyway, the food at the restaurant was so good that I soon forgot about trying to solve the lemon puzzle. After we finished our meal, the owner of the hotel came over and suggested we climb up the stairs to his observation deck on the roof and admire the view. The village was indeed charming, but what really caught my eye was a beautiful cat serenely sitting on the roof about 20 yards away. I called the cat and he dutifully trotted over and let me pick him up. Whenever I see a cat or dog in the street, I try to approach and pet it, but this was no street cat. His fur was exceptionally clean and silky, and he simply radiated robustness and well-being. In fact, he was possibly the healthiest cat I’ve ever met. Within seconds he was purring noisily and I reluctantly put him back down only when my friends threatened to drive off without me!
Jan 6, 2007
A couple of days ago, I visited an orphanage in the Bulgarian countryside. I went with some friends who are part of Kids to Kids, a humanitarian organization that arranges for kids in different countries to exchange paintings, and for fortunate kids to donate toys to those who are less fortunate. A professional magician and I were supposed to each do a short show to entertain the kids.
Let me tell you, I was more nervous than when I was in the Green Room waiting to get on the Letterman Show! Although I’m not really an entertainer, I thought of a few things I could demonstrate, but I wasn’t sure how the kids would react. When my turn came, I joked around a little (there was a translator), and then started bouncing around on my pogo stick. I could tell it was the first time they had seen a pogo stick in person, and they were excited. Then, I did a short juggling routine followed by a yodeling demonstration. When I called one of the older boys up and tried to teach him to yodel, the kids broke out into howls of laughter! What a great feeling!
Jan 4, 2007
A few days ago, I celebrated the new year by trying something totally new and different. I’m currently staying in a hotel on the beach in Varna, Bulgaria with some friends. The other day we noticed a couple of Romanian tourists splashing around in the waters of the Black Sea. There’s nothing unusual about that except it’s the middle of winter here and the water is ice cold!
I’ve heard of the Polar Bear Club in New York who traditionally jump into the ocean every year on New Year’s Day, but somehow I never was motivated enough to join them. In fact, Vic Boff, a well known body builder and health enthusiast in his day, had been encouraging me for years to join up. Anyway, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to finally take the plunge. Those Romanian tourists seemed to be having a lot of fun!
My friends and I went out to the beach and we met Karteek and Anugata who had been in the water and were just drying off. Both of them are English Channel swimmers and they said that the water was much colder than the Channel. They recommended that we walk in slowly to avoid the sudden shock, but we knew there was only one smart way to proceed – just rush to the water’s edge and dive in! And that’s what we did!
Dec 31, 2006
I’m not one for a whole list of resolutions but there is one thing that I’m determined to do this year. I have decided to set aside 10 minutes a day to offer gratitude to God for His Love, Guidance and Protection.
Recently my spiritual teacher, Sri Chinmoy, recited an aphorism which really struck home:
“My Lord tells me that my ever-blossoming gratitude-heart is His most favorite song.”
For me, the power of gratitude is miraculous.
I wish you all a healthy, joyous new year, full of peace and adventure!
